


No Rest for the Wicked

by greenikat89



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Choose Your Own Adventure, Force Choking (Star Wars), Gen, Ghosts, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Killing, M/M, Major Character Injury, Minor Character Death, Murder, Self-Harm, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2020-02-28 15:49:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 35
Words: 33,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenikat89/pseuds/greenikat89
Summary: Kylo finally manages to get himself killed. When you find out you're secretly relieved. The other Knights are much more palatable and easier for you to better command your troops for the glory of the First Order.  With Ren gone, the balance of power has shifted in your favor.However, something is happening to you that creeps along the edges of your vision and whispers in your mind.  You're not sure if it's just the stress getting to you as the sole commander on the Finalizer or if it's something more.  But it can't be Kylo...can it?Inspired by the Star Wars Kink Meme prompt.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is inspired by the kink meme prompt that I started as a third person point of view, and then I scrapped it to make a second person choose your-own-adventure style. You can find the earlier attempt and the full prompt here: https://tfa-kink.dreamwidth.org/4613.html?thread=11565061#cmt11565061
> 
> If you would like to read the full interactive story (with moving text, changing words, and hidden phrases, etc.) then please visit this website on your laptop (phones won’t work for the enhanced text): http://philome.la/lehmongeloh/no-rest-for-the-wicked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy! I deliberately did not put chapter titles in the dropdown and mixed up the chapter orders to get the true Choose-Your-Own-Adventure experience. :)

**The Beginning**

 

Hesitant knocking pulls you out of some documents you're reading at your desk. The holofiles disappear with a flick of your fingers as you stand and walk over towards your door. The hour is late and you were anticipating  some time to yourself before being back on alpha shift.

 

A faint uneasiness rises up within you, almost like a premonition, and you briefly hesitate with your finger hovering over the button to let someone in.  What if you didn’t push it? You shove aside that nonsense and blame that madness on looking at too many holofiles in the dark of your room.

 

“Lieutenant Mitaka,” you say neutrally to cover your surprise when the door slides open. “Aren’t you supposed to be on the bridge?”

 

The other man jerks his head once in acknowledgement. “Sir, yes but I – ah, I have some urgent news,” he stutters over his words. His expression is pinched, eyes skittering everywhere but looking directly at you.

 

You take a step back in a silent invitation to let Mitaka in.  The Lieutenant is normally a composed, competent individual so the shift in behavior is unusual. You sit back at your desk with your hands steepled atop the polished surface.

 

The Lieutenant fidgets nervously in front of you but doesn’t speak.  The silence stretches out and wears as thin as your patience with the matter. “Well?” you prompt.  If he can’t get to the point then you’re going to put him on sanitation duty for wasting your time.

 

“Right,” Mitaka says as if more to himself before straightening up. “As you know, Lord Kylo Ren of the Knights of Ren was dispatched to an undisclosed location for an espionage mission as per Supreme Leader Snoke's orders,” he starts off with just a minor tremble in his voice. “His shuttle returned eight hours ago.”

 

“Well then inform Ren that he can explain to Snoke why he failed to be at the officer’s meeting he should have attended during first shift,” you say irritably. The Knight’s chair had been noticeably absent when Ren should have had critical information to report back on. “Honestly Lieutenant, despite what it may look like I’m not Ren’s handler. I don’t need to be kept up to date on his whereabouts when-”

 

“He can’t,” Mitaka blurts out effectively cutting you off mid-sentence.  You feel a brief flash of anger at that. “Lord Ren is dead.”

 

“He’s what?”

 

“I’m so sorry General,” Mitaka babbles on and looks at you with a mix of worry and fear. “The medical droids did their best, but Lord Ren was already dead on arrival from the grievous wounds he’d sustained from his mission.”

 

You lean back in your chair with a carefully blank expression. So that idiot Kylo has finally managed to get himself killed. Something that is coiled tight within you loosens at the news and you’re mildly surprised to find it’s relief that you will not have to constantly struggle for power anymore. The other Knights are much more palatable than Ren ever was.

 

Sure, Ren was truly a power unmatched, a terror on the battlefield, and his ability to tear information right out of someone's head was, at times, an asset.  But ultimately stability will benefit the Order much more in the war ahead. With Ren gone the balance of power has shifted in your favor and, well, one commander is better than two.

 

Mitaka politely clears his throat and you realize you’ve been lost in thought while making plans for a more efficient leadership structure. Annoyingly, the Lieutenant is still looking at you with that unnecessary expression of concern.

 

“Well, nothing to be done about it,” you say crisply.  As if you blame anyone for Ren’s reckless death. “Tell the crew to prepare for the mandatory mourning period.” Maybe you can get away with a week of it so normal plans on the ship aren’t thrown off too much.

 

“I’ll make the necessary preparations myself, Sir.” Mitaka salutes and turns to go.  He stops to hover by the doorway to look back at at you. “What would…what would you like to do about the body?”

 

Your expression collapses into a narrow-eyed scowl. They can jettison it out into space for all you care. “I’m sure you’ll take the appropriate actions,” you say instead before getting back to your work.

\---

In the end they cremate Ren and put the ashes in a large, decorative black box along with Darth Vader’s helmet and a datapad.  (There’s no word about his lightsaber.) Apparently it has no less than five thousand files on what people were to do if Ren unexpectedly died. “I’m not taking that,” you nearly growl when Mitaka accosts you in a hallway and tries to hand you the box.

 

“Sir, I know this is a hard time for you, what with you leaving the bridge so soon after the announcement of Lord Ren's death-”

 

“I had another officer’s meeting to go to and I didn't-” you cut in.

 

“- but this was Lord Ren’s wishes,” the shorter man continues on doggedly and firmly presses the box back into your hands. “He had a long list of directions on what needed to be done in case of his untimely demise.”

 

“Ren had a long list of directions for everything, Lieutenant,” you mutter and shove the box back into the other man’s hands. “That doesn’t mean we need to follow them. He’s dead.”

 

“Sir,” Mitaka says gently. He looks at you with that same unsavory mix of concern and understanding.  “Sir, it’s okay to take time to grieve for someone you loved.”

 

“What?”  You nearly trip over your tongue to spit the word out. “That is preposterous.” As if you have any such feelings for that infantile, infuriating, destructive Knight.

 

“Denial is the first step towards acceptance, General,” Mitaka says again in that same galling, gentle voice. “I’ll let you have some time alone so you can compose yourself.” And with that he makes a neat heel turn and quickly walks back the way he came.

 

It is only after Mitaka turns a corner that you realize you somehow have that kriffing box between your hands again. You can feel a vein pulse behind your eye that always indicates a headache is coming on. Even in death, Ren still seems to hold that power over you to make you lose your temper.

 

You breathe out hard through your nose and draw back into yourself. You can correct Lieutenant Mitaka on his erroneous assumptions later. You have urgent business to take care of with Supreme Leader Snoke and the new Knight that is to take Ren’s place. The meeting, you realize, you are probably going to be late to thanks to the Lieutenant delaying you with Ren’s…well, remains and artifacts. What are you even supposed to do with it?  You certainly aren’t going to cart it all over the ship.

 

You decide to put the:

 

[ Remains in the trash ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44504689)

  
[ Remains in your quarters ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44504782)


	2. Chapter 2

**Remains in the Trash**

 

With your mind made up you press a button and a panel of the hallway wall slides open. Without a second thought you dump the box down the chute to the trash compactor.  A vague chill passes through you as if someone has clawed their fingers down your back, which is just nonsense. You brush off the feeling with irritation. The panel slides closed with a small hiss before seamlessly blending into the wall again. The matter settled, you stride towards your meeting and hope the new Knight is someone you can work with (or control if it comes down to it).

 

You make the trek to the Supreme Leader’s grand room in no time.  “I apologize for my delay,” you say demurely and give a quick bow to Snoke’s large projected image.  “I had some last minute matters to take care of.” The other Knight is already standing slightly to the left of the center stage.  It’s where Kylo Ren used to stand next to you during your shared meetings with the Supreme Leader.

 

Snoke’s visage looks down at you with disapproval, but he says nothing.  The fleeting judgmental look burns within you and you blame that, once again, Ren has brought you down again in front of the Supreme Leader.  Viciously, you’re grateful that Ren’s dead.

 

“General Hux, this is Knight Tebawli Ren,” Snoke’s voice rumbles throughout the cavernous meeting room.  “He will replace the former Lord, Kylo Ren.”

 

Your eyes quickly sweep over this new Knight who is nearly as tall as Kylo.  He wears a black outfit similar to Kylo’s that’s complete with his own stylized black helmet in a golden grid formation.  You suppress the childish need to roll your eyes at the theatrics, but as long as the helmet didn’t become “A Thing” then you can deal with it.

 

“Lord Tebawli Ren,” you acknowledge from your place next to the Knight.  The shape of the words feels wrong on your tongue. That feeling will go away with time as you get used to the new Knight.

 

Lord Tebawli barely inclines his head.  “General Hux,” he greets back. His voice is husky but clear through the mask.  You wonder if he’s also using a voice modulator.

 

“Knight Tebawli will be in a similar position as the former Lord,” Snoke continues.

 

“Of course, Supreme Leader.”  You try not to grind your teeth - a filthy habit your father could never completely beat out of you - and do you best not to think too hard about killing the new Knight.  You’re never sure when Snoke reads your mind, but it’s always best not to provide him a reason to think he should invade your head. “I will make sure Knight Tebawli is properly debriefed in his new role as co-commander.”

 

Perhaps this new Knight won’t get too underfoot if you must share co-commandership _again._  

 

“That will not be necessary,” Snoke says with a dismissive wave of his hand.  “Your recent performance has made me believe that you are capable of taking sole command of the _Finalizer_.”

 

“Supreme Leader,” you say.  You can barely suppress the tremble of satisfaction coursing through you that finally, _finally,_ you get to do what you are meant to do without any sort of hinderance.

 

Snoke peers down at you with his pitless black eyes, and this time you’re sure he’s sliding through your thoughts.  “Do not misplace my trust in your capabilities, General,” he says after a taut silence.

 

“Of course not, Supreme Leader,” you say respectfully.  Of course his trust isn’t misplaced. No one can lead like you can.  No one has the mind to organize battles like you. You’re the youngest General for a _reason_ and soon others will see it as well.  They will _fall_ beneath you like so much discarded trash.  

 

“Then it is done,” Snoke says and leans back on his throne.  “Your first order of business is giving a formal speech to the crew about the  former Knight, Lord Ren, and his heroic sacrifice in the line of duty furthering the First Order.”

 

Your good mood abruptly vanishes, and you clutch your gloved hands behind your back away from Snoke and the eyes of the new Knight.  You have plans to make for the new efficient running of the ship. None of it has to do with spewing words you don’t mean to stormtroopers you don’t care about (except in how they can further your cause for greatness).   

 

The Supreme Leader is staring at you and you can feel the weight of the new Knight’s eyes on you as well.  “Of course, Supreme Leader,” you say levelly and bury the distaste deep down inside. This is just another minor obstacle in the way of what you want.  “I shall prepare something for later on this week.”

 

“You have two hours,” Snoke states.  “The arrangements have been made already.  Tebawli will be by your side on stage as well in a show of unity for the new partnership between you two.”  He doesn’t give you time to say anything else before Snoke winks out of existence leaving you and the new Knight standing together.

 

Knight Tebawli gives you one last polite nod before exiting the room, leaving you alone to silently get a  handle on your temper. “Mitaka,” you say into your com when it feels like you’re not going to chew through your tongue anymore.

 

“Sir,” comes the immediate reply.  “What can I do for you?”

 

“I have to give a speech about the former Lord Ren during the ceremony later on today.”  You sigh a little because you’re not above some false vulnerability to manipulate others.

 

It works well enough on Lieutenant Mitaka who immediately rushes over the com, “I’ll take care of everything.”  If he isn’t so helpful to you getting out of doing this particular work then you would find the display pathetic.  “I’ll make sure the speech is to your tastes; just leave it to me.”

 

“Excellent, send it to me when you’re done.”  You close the comlink to cut off whatever response Mitaka is about to say.  With that out of the way you have enough time to review some financial reports Captain Phasma recently sent to you.  You also have to reconcile last month’s budget because Kylo had blown up two TIE fighters in a fit of anger.

 

You’re still scowling at the memory and the amount of work you need to do when you notice your feet have carried you from Snoke’s meeting chambers to Kylo’s private quarters.  Your scowl deepens into the familiar lines that are etched into your face from years of dealing with Kylo. You did plan to walk right on by, but for some misguided reason, you decide to give one last look around the room.

 

You key in the code and step through the doorway.  The room looks the same as it’s always been: sparse, gloomy, and with only one bright column of light that shines on the now bare dais where ashes and Darth Vader’s helmet used to be.

 

“Good riddance,” you mutter and:

 

[ Says something positive ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44504998)

 

[ Says something negative ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505019)


	3. Chapter 3

**Remains in Your Quarters**

 

You can’t really explain why you can’t put Kylo’s remains in the trash compactor despite how much he infuriated you.  Your father would have been the first one to tell you that you don’t have a conscience, so that’s not the reason your hand stays hovering right above the chute button.

 

You grimace and fleetingly hope Mitaka isn’t around as you keep your grip on the box.  You don’t have time for this nonsense when you’re late to your meeting. On the way to Snoke’s meeting chambers you bump into a petty officer.  “Take this to my quarters. Let no one see you enter,” you demand.

 

“Of course, Sir,” the officer agrees and salutes you.  

 

You quickly walk away before you change your mind and start to question your decision.  You make the trek to the Supreme Leader’s grand room in no time and try to put your actions out of your head.  

 

“I apologize for my delay,” you say demurely and give a quick bow to Snoke’s large projected image.  “I was dealing with Lord Kylo Ren’s effects.” The other Knight is already standing slightly to the left of the center stage.  It’s where Kylo Ren used to stand next to you during your shared meetings with the Supreme Leader.

 

Snoke’s visage looks down at you with what could pass for mild acceptance but he says nothing.  Snoke is not known for tolerating delays, and the lack of retribution - especially in front of the new Knight - is like a balm on your frazzled nerves.  It looks like Kylo Ren is the cause for something positive for once.

 

“General Hux, this is Knight Tebawli Ren,” Snoke’s voice rumbles throughout the cavernous meeting room.  “He will replace the former Lord, Kylo Ren.”

 

Your eyes quickly sweep over this new Knight who is nearly as tall as Kylo.  He wears a black outfit similar to Kylo’s that’s complete with his own stylized black helmet in a golden grid pattern.  You suppress the childish need to roll your eyes at the theatrics, but as long as the helmet didn’t become “A Thing” then you can deal with it.

 

“Lord Tebawli Ren,” you acknowledge from your place next to the Knight.  The shape of the words feels wrong on your tongue. That feeling will pass in time with familiarity.

 

The Knight barely inclines his head.  “General Hux,” he greets back. His voice is husky but clear through the mask.  You wonder if he’s also using a voice modulator.

 

“Knight Tebawli will be in a similar position as the former Lord,” Snoke continues.  “However, General Hux, you will have sole responsibility of the _Finalizer_ to command.  Your recent performance has helped tip this decision in your favor.”

 

“Thank you, Supreme Leader,” you say respectfully.  You can barely suppress the tremble of satisfaction coursing through you that finally, _finally,_ you get to do what you are meant to do without any sort of hinderance.

 

“Then it is done,” Snoke says and leans back on his throne.  “Your first order of business is giving a speech to the crew about the  former Knight, Lord Ren and his heroic sacrifice in the line of duty furthering the First Order.”

 

Your good mood abruptly vanishes and you clutch your gloved hands behind your back away from Snoke and the eyes of the new Knight.  You have plans to make for the new efficient running of the ship. None of it has to do with spewing words you don’t mean to stormtroopers you don’t care about (except in how they can further your cause for greatness).   

 

The Supreme Leader is staring at you and you can feel the weight of the new Knight’s eyes on you as well.  “Of course, Supreme Leader,” you say levelly and bury the distaste deep down inside. This is just another minor obstacle in the way of what you want.  “I shall prepare something for later on this week.”

 

“You have two hours,” Snoke states.  “The arrangements have been made already.  Tebawli will be by your side on stage as well in a show of unity for the new partnership between you two.”  He doesn’t give you time to say anything else before Snoke winks out of existence leaving you and the new Knight standing together.

 

Knight Tebawli gives you one last polite nod before exiting the room, leaving you alone to silently get a  handle on your temper. “Mitaka,” you say into your com when it feels like you’re not going to chew through your tongue anymore.

 

“Sir,” comes the immediate reply.  “What can I do for you?”

 

“I have to give a speech about the former Lord Ren during the ceremony later on today.”  You sigh a little because you’re not above some false vulnerability to manipulate others.

 

It works well enough on Lieutenant Mitaka who immediately rushes over the com, “I’ll take care of everything.”  If he isn’t so helpful to you getting out of doing this particular work, you would find the display pathetic. “I’ll make sure the speech is to your tastes; just leave it to me.”

 

“Excellent, send it to me when you’re done.”  You close the comlink to cut off whatever response Mitaka is about to say.  With that out of the way you have enough time to review some financial reports Captain Phasma recently sent to you.  You also have to reconcile last month’s budget because Kylo had blown up two TIE fighters in a fit of anger.

 

You’re still scowling at the memory and the amount of work you need to do when you notice your feet have carried you from Snoke’s meeting chambers to Kylo’s private quarters.  Your scowl deepens into the familiar lines that are etched into your face from years of dealing with Kylo. You did plan to walk right on by, but for some misguided reason, you decide to give one last look around the room.

 

You key in the code and step through the doorway.  The room looks mostly the same as it’s always been: sparse, gloomy, and with only one bright column of light that shines on the now bare dais where ashes and Darth Vader’s helmet used to be.

 

“Good riddance,” you mutter and:

 

[ Say something positive ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44504998)

 

[ Say something negative ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505019)


	4. Chapter 4

**Say Something Positive**

 

“However, you were not entirely useless upon occasion,” you admit to yourself in the quiet room.  You walk further inside so the door can silently slide shut behind you that way no one else can accidentally glimpse you inside.  The last thing you want to do is to add more fuel to the fire of Lieutenant Mitaka’s conviction that you have some sort of… tragic past with Kylo.

 

Your boots barely make a sound against the floor as you casually walk around the perimeter of the spartan room.  You never really paid attention to the contents of Kylo’s personal quarters on the rare occasions you were in here.  Most of your energy had been focused on Kylo’s ridiculously large hands on your body, the slide of your skin against his, the way he fucked with a desperate, needy anger to prove something.

 

None of that matters now with him gone.  You sit on the edge of the unmade bed (of course Kylo hadn’t bothered to straighten it before his mission) with your legs stretched out in front of you.  It’s unusual for you to sit so casually like this, but so too is coming into this room and reminiscing. You were never one to look upon the past when you’re more concerned about dominating your future.

 

“I hope you enjoy ruining someone else’s life for once,” you mutter.  The lights flicker once and then twice. You make a mental note to have the wiring checked out in addition to sending a cleaning crew through here to empty out the room.  Maybe you can secure it for an additional office for yourself. Or perhaps a storage closet will be more fitting.

 

However, you have more pressing matters at the moment such as meeting with the new Knight properly.  You get up with thoughts already on how best to maneuver the new Knight to your advantage when your foot bumps against something.  You look down.

 

It’s a...key of some sort.  Certainly nothing that would go to anything on your ship.  You bend down to pick it up from the floor where it had been half hidden beneath the bed frame for who knows how long.  You turn it over in your gloved hand with mild interest. It’s half the size of your index finger with a slim shaft and a rectangular bit cut into the shape of an angular S.  You’re not familiar with the symbols etched onto the circular handle. Probably some mystical nonsense knowing Ren.

 

You pocket the key and decide to throw it out later.  You don’t really have time to think too much about this non-mystery because you need to formally meet the:

  
  
[ New Knight ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505055)


	5. Chapter 5

**Say Something Negative**

 

“You were an entirely useless person,” you say out loud in the quiet room.  “To be honest, I had expected you to get yourself killed years ago due to your reckless, childish behavior.”

 

You walk further inside so the door can slide shut behind you that way no one else can accidentally glimpse you inside.  Yes, venting your feelings out loud is cathartic in a way, but no one else needs to see you talking to yourself in an empty room.  “Good riddance to trash.”

 

Something metallic rattles in the vents before a gust of air swirls around the room and kicks up stray ash dust from the memorial pile.  You distastefully brush specks of it off your uniform. “It’s fitting that your room is just as disagreeable as you were,” you mutter.

 

You never really paid attention to the contents of Kylo’s personal quarters on the rare occasions you were in here.  Most of your energy had been focused on Kylo’s ridiculously large hands on your body, the slide of your skin against his, the way he fucked with a desperate, needy anger to prove something.  You liked prodding him into controlled fits of anger during these times where all that power and rage was yours to control.

 

None of that matters now with him gone.  “I hope you enjoy ruining someone else’s life for once,” you mutter.  You press your com. “Lieutenant Mitaka, I need you to schedule a crew down here to clean out Kylo’s room,” you demand before the Lieutenant can get a word in edgewise.  A blast of cold air needles through the fabric of your clothes and pricks your skin. “And get a technician down here to look at the heating and ventilation; it’s malfunctioning.”

 

“Right away, General,” Mitaka agrees.

 

The lights flicker once, twice, and then dim in the bedroom with a faint buzz.  “And the lights,” you add on. Even in death, Kylo still finds ways to ruin your carefully put together budget.  You cut the link after Mitaka confirms the new orders as well.

 

You’ve spent enough time in here.  You have a meeting with the new Knight in short order.  You head towards the exit while mulling over ideas about how best to maneuver the new Knight to your advantage when your foot bumps against something.  You look down.

 

It’s a… key of some sort.  Certainly nothing that would go to anything on your ship.  You bend down to pick it up from the floor where it had been half hidden beneath the bed frame for who knows how long.  You turn it over in your gloved hand with mild interest. It’s half the size of your index finger with a slim shaft and a rectangular bit cut into the shape of an angular S.  You’re not familiar with the symbols etched onto the circular handle. Probably some mystical nonsense knowing Ren.

 

You pocket the key and decide to throw it out later.  You don’t really have time to think too much about this non-mystery because you need to formally meet the:

 

[ New Knight ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505055)

 


	6. Chapter 6

**New Knight**

 

You arrive back in your office with time to spare before Lord Tebawli Ren arrives to meet with you.  Your office is pristine and devoid of personal items; this is your public office where you occasionally hold private officer meetings.  Kylo Ren is - was - the only person to see the office in your private quarters where the bulk of your work is done. It’ll be fitting to formally meet the new Knight of the Knights of Ren here where you can make it clear that you are the superior officer and in command.  This is unlike what happened when you finally met Kylo after Snoke had declared the both of you would be co-commanders together. Out of Snoke’s watchful eye there had been a lot of embarrassing screaming, Force choking, and property damage.

 

This time it will go better.

 

This time you’re in control.

 

Your holopad sitting at the corner of your desk alerts you to Knight Tebawli’s presence right outside your door before he knocks.  He’s exactly on time. The security system is already keyed to his presence for the doors open to allow him entry.

 

He’s a Chiss.

 

Gone is the black helmet which gives you a clear view to take in the dark blue skin and red eyes characteristic of their species.  Somehow, he looks familiar to you although that can’t be possible. There aren’t that many non-humans on the _Finalizer._ Of course you have little idea how Snoke runs the Knights.  Maybe Kylo was the exception in the group.

 

“General Hux,” he greets with a voice just as low and smooth as the first time he spoke in Snoke’s chambers.  So he doesn’t use a voice modulator. He stands at a loose parade rest in a black uniform similar to what Kylo had worn.

 

“Have a seat.”  You gesture to one of the low chairs set at an angle in front of your desk.  Frankly, as long as the Chiss got his job done and stayed out of your way then you have no problem with him.

 

He sits with an easy grace, one ankle resting atop his knee and gloved fingers laced together in front of him.  It is so unlike the barely leashed energy Kylo always seemed to have even when sitting. He was like a large wild animal unwillingly trapped within the cramped confines of a room too small to hold him.

 

“Let’s go over this quickly,” you say in order to interrupt your own thoughts.  You’re annoyed that you’re thinking about Kylo _again._ “I’m sure you have your orders to carry out as do I.”

 

Tebawli nods in agreement.  “Of course. I appreciate the time you’ve taken out of your schedule to make sure our goals are in alignment.”

 

“My goals _are_ your goals, only superseded by Supreme Leader Snoke.”  You’re not having another off the rails Knight whose own selfish desires sabotaged your missions and disrupted the fabric of the First Order.  You pin Tebawli with a hard stare. “I expect compliance from you and efficiency. I am your superior officer and I will not tolerate insubordination or deal with any misplaced notion of a power struggle on your part.  Is that clear?”

 

He smiles to reveal perfectly straight teeth that are a brilliant white against his skin.  “I have no problems being under you, General Hux.”

 

The room suddenly spikes in temperature that’s so cold that you almost believe your breath puffs out in little wisps of white vapor.  “I’m glad we’ve come to an understanding.” You stand up and the Chiss follows suit. “Until our next meeting, Lord Ren.”

 

You usher Tebawli out the door before the cold becomes unbearable.  Scheduling a technician to look at the heating and cooling in this room as well is just another thing in a long list of malfunctions you have to deal with.

 

[ Knight Proposition ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505067)


	7. Chapter 7

**Knight Proposition**

 

Things run smoothly on your ship with only minor hiccups here and there (the shorting out of some consoles on the bridge, irregular room temperatures in your office, and on one occasion the flooding of one of the communal `freshers for the stormtroopers).  It’s nothing you can’t deal with.

 

You’re also pleased with the partnership you’ve formed with Lord Tebawli.  He’s efficient, intelligent, and is able to manage both his personal orders through Snoke and your orders without any sort of conflict.  The new harmonious partnership had lead to three conquered planets and the advancement of new technology to help further the First Order’s ever spreading reach.

 

It’s a wonder what you can accomplish when you aren’t managing Kylo’s tantrums and keeping one eye out in case you get stabbed in the back, figuratively or literally.  With Kylo you had never put anything past him.

 

The downside of taking full command of your ship is that there has been a persistent headache forming at the base of your skull that’s slowly fanning out.  It’s beyond your usual stress headaches (again, something that was mainly caused by Kylo) and you keep doing your best to shake it off. It’s probably a matter of adjusting to the new intense schedule and running yourself ragged to make sure things go exactly the way you want it to go.  Being a General isn’t easy, but the burden is yours to shoulder and you do it well.

 

You flick through some holofiles in front of you and sign off on some documents that need your attention.  You’re at your desk again with two fingers of some hard alcohol in your chilled glass. The alcohol was gifted to you from one of the diplomats in your pocket.  At this point you don’t care what kind it is as long as it takes the edge off your headache that’s creeping around the base of your skull again.

 

The datapad chimes an alert that someone is at your door.  You don’t look up from your holofiles when Tebawli sweeps in and drops into his usual chair.  He’s as punctual as a chronometer for your regularly scheduled meetings. The headache flares up even worse.  You’re tempted to roll the cold glass on the back of your neck to alleviate some of the ache, but it wouldn’t be fitting for your status in front of a subordinate.

 

Tebawli is a couple shades darker than his usual hue as his eyes skim over the tense line of your shoulders.  “Does something ail you?”

 

You forcefully relax your shoulders.  “Just these missives.” There’s some reports of a rebellion in a recently conquered quadrant that could use some reminders about what happens if people try and go against the First Order.  “Was there anything to report on the recent diplomatic mission I scheduled you for?”

 

“If there was, you would be the first person to hear about it,” he responds.  “You know I haven’t failed yet.”

 

Lord Tebawli’s subtle charm is a perfect asset for negotiations with potential partners for the First Order when you can’t be there in person.  Unlike Ren, Tebawli creates a sense of trustworthiness and wields a different sort of soft power that can’t be handed over through force of will alone.  

 

“Mmm, good.”  You flick through some low level reports, but really you’re trying not to focus on the throbbing that’s starting behind your eyes.  “Then you’re dismissed.” Just a couple more files to get through and then maybe you can catch a half hour of sleep before you’re back on the bridge.

 

So focused are you on not acknowledging your headache that you don’t notice there’s a hand between you and your holopad until Tebawli gently pulls it away from you.  “I beg your pardon.” Familiar cold fury, the kind Ren used to incite in you, sparks within your core and suffuses your body that he would _dare_ to overstep his bounds.

 

“I mean no disrespect, General,” Tebawli attempts to placate you as he removes his hand.  “I thought perhaps you could use something to help you relax.”

 

Your fingers curl atop your desk.  “You thought-” you begin to spit out.

 

“I’ve seen you become increasingly… mmm, let’s say spread thin,” he interrupts smoothly and settles more firmly in his chair.  “You said I serve to follow your orders. How can I serve out my purpose if you are not at your best? I can help you.”

 

Something about the way he offers his help to you tempers the rage within you, although the headache is still there.  Those red eyes are not-so-subtly sliding over you again in an appraising way. The meaning is not lost on you. You’re not opposed to fucking as a way to create a power dynamic to keep someone indebted and loyal to you in a way that goes beyond simple status.  

 

You sit still and consider if you:

 

[ Decline the Invitation ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505088)

 

[ Consider the Invitation ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505124)


	8. Chapter 8

**Decline the Invitation**

 

For the first time you look over Tebawli the same way he’s been eyeing you these past several rotations.  You aren’t unaware the he desires you; you just dismissed it because it didn’t fit into your plans. Tebawli is fit and handsome enough.  Aside from the skin and eyes, Chiss are exactly like humans.

 

He’s almost as tall as you are with close cropped black hair styled in a standard military haircut.  There’s power in his muscular limbs (not nearly as muscular as Kylo’s, something whispers in your mind, and you immediately banish that thought).  For a potential bed partner you could do a lot worse.

 

However, you have other things to attend to and you don’t need any distraction with fraternization.

 

“That will be all,” you say crisply and pull the holopad to you.  Who knows what kind of diseases Chiss carry and could pass on to humans.  “You should remember your place.”

 

There’s a moment of silence before he says, “Of course, General.”

 

You don’t watch him go because you’re intent on beating back your headache into submission.  It’s enough to make you close your eyes to conceal the blurred text in front of you. You debate going to medical, maybe the droids could give you something to knock you out, but maybe some personal exploration will help you relax.  It’s been so long since you’ve had a proper orgasm.

 

You have time for a quick nap if you’re fast enough to finish reviewing these formations that require your sign-off on.  You pull your greatcoat more snugly around your shoulders. You’ve taken to wearing your greatcoat everywhere because you’re always so cold now.  It doesn’t seem to be doing much at the moment, but you resign yourself to the chill that’s settled into your bones and grimly finish your work. There will be time for you to warm up later.

 

\---

 

The heat is up as high as it can go in your quarters, making the sheets stick to your sweat slicked skin.  The blankets are kicked off on the floor and your thighs are spread wide, legs bent as you slide your hand up and down your cum slicked cock.

 

Your mind wanders and you close your eyes, envisioning someone between your legs fucking you fast and hard the way you like.  They’ll pull out just enough for the head of their thick, throbbing member to catch against your rim and stretch it open with just a hint of pain.  You gasp out and twist your wrist as you imagine them slamming back into you to hit your prostate before grinding against that sensitive spot that makes your limbs tremble.

 

Your hand moves faster now, hips canting up as if to meet this imaginary person as they fuck you open.  They’ll shudder and grip your hips hard enough to bruise when you urge them on with thrusts forceful enough to shake the frame of the bed.  

 

They’ll praise you - no - worship you with dark, piercing eyes that’ll gaze down at you with a single-minded intensity that’s almost suffocating.  They’ll pin you down with their large hands and drill into you with the rapid, wet slap of skin against skin.

 

You’re getting into this , breaths coming in shorter gasps as you feel yourself nearing your orgasm.  Your fingers ghost over the slick head of your cock and then back down again to grip the shaft. You can just imagine them repeating your name, softer at first and then building with power, desperate and raw and needy.  It echoes in your mind, it feels so real and-

 

“ **HUX!”**

 

Your eyes snap open, startled out of your fantasy by the sound of a familiar voice shouting your name. 

 

It’s Kylo.

 

He’s kneeling on your bed with his face twisted up in painful grimace and arm outstretched towards you.  He’s there and then not, his body fuzzed and blended around the edges to merge with the shadows in the room.

 

“Kylo?” you whisper out, mind terribly blank because it can’t be.  The next second your orgasm catches you by surprise as it rips through you.  You arch your back and slam your eyes shut. You’re not sure if someone shouts your name or if it’s just in your head when you go under in pleasure.

 

By the time you open your eyes again it’s just yourself breathing heavily in the room with your cum splashed against your stomach and over your clenched fist.  No shadows. No screaming.

 

No Kylo.

 

You’re not sure what the kark you saw before, but it was probably a trick of the light.   It’s just your overactive imagination blending your anonymous fantasy fuck into a more familiar shape.  It doesn’t mean anything.

 

You drop back against the pillows and sigh.  For once you’re warm and your headache is gone which is no small miracle after the time you’ve had dealing with it.  

 

You’re too tired and wrung out to think further about it.  You have just enough presence of mind to cut the lights before you’re closing your eyes.

  


[ You Dream ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505142)


	9. Chapter 9

**Consider the Invitation**

 

For the first time you look over Tebawli the same way he’s been eyeing you these past several rotations.  You aren’t unaware the he desires you; you just dismissed it because it didn’t fit into your plans. Tebawli is fit and handsome enough.  Aside from the skin and eyes, Chiss are exactly like humans.

 

He’s almost as tall as you are with close cropped black hair styled in a standard military haircut.  There’s power in his muscular limbs (not nearly as muscular as Kylo’s, something whispers in your mind, and you immediately banish that thought).  For a potential bed partner you could do a lot worse.

 

“Report to medical,” you say crisply and pull the holopad to you.  Who knows what kind of diseases Chiss carry and could pass on to humans.

 

Tebawli’s eyes are like mercury.  “And then?” His voice curls with satisfaction.  You’ll have to make sure to squash that out of him before he gets any ideas about who’s in charge.

 

You tap out a couple responses about some minute details that don’t need your immediate response, but you want to make a point that he should be grateful to have your attention.  “I expect you to give me a full report during my delta shift.”

 

His thin lips curve up into a slice of a smile.  “As you wish, General.”

 

You don’t watch him go because you’re intent on beating back your headache into submission.  It’s enough to make you close your eyes to conceal the blurred text in front of you. You debate going to medical as well, maybe the droids could give you something to knock you out, but maybe a good fuck will relax you.

 

You have time for a quick nap if you’re fast enough to finish reviewing these formations that require your sign-off on.  You’ve taken to wearing your greatcoat everywhere because you’re always so cold now. It doesn’t seem to be doing much at the moment, but you resign yourself to the chill that’s settled into your bones and grimly finish your work.  There will be time for you to warm up later.

 

\---

 

Tebawli’s skin is flushed a deep nebula blue that is almost black.  His eyes glitter in the low light when he looks down at you. The only sounds that fill the room are sharp gasps from him that mix with your heavier breathing as he thrusts into you with short, rapid strokes that sparks pleasure in your gut.  It’s exactly the way you like it, hard and fast, and there’s been no complaints from Tebawli. That doesn’t mean you can’t demand even better.

 

“Is that the best you can do?” you taunt and tilt your hips up to meet his next thrust.

 

He laughs shallowly and flicks sweat out of his eyes.  The heat is as high up as it can go which makes the sheets stick to your sweat slicked skin.  Tebawli catches a bead of sweat on his tongue when he smiles. “Am I not following your exact orders?”  He pulls out just enough for the head of his cock to catch against your rim and stretch it open. He slams back in to hit your prostate and then grinds against the sensitive spot that makes your limbs tremble in a way that you know he sees.

 

“There’s always room for improvement,” you snark.  Your legs are wrapped around his waist with your arms stretched above your head.  You turn your head partially to the side to lengthen your neck and look up at him through half lidded eyes.  “I thought you wanted to help me.” You know what you’re doing. You know the picture you make. It used to drive Kylo mad, and it seems to be doing the same thing to Tebawli who stares at you with heated intensity.  

 

You press your heels into the small of his back to urge him on.  “Fuck me properly.” The whole point of being fucked is to let someone else do all the work to give you what you want.  “That’s a direct order from your superior.”

 

That seems to do the trick.  Tebawli shudders and grabs your hips hard enough to bruise as he thrusts into you forcefully enough to shake the frame of the bed.  “So good,” he gasps and closes his eyes to focus on drilling into you with the rapid, wet slap of skin against skin. “Hux.”

 

You brace one hand against the headboard, breaths coming in shorter gasps as you feel yourself nearing your orgasm.  You reach down between your bodies to stroke your cock in quick jerks. You fingers ghost over the slick head of your member and then back down again.  You close your eyes. You’re close.

 

Tebawli is whispering words of praise to you like reciting a prayer.  “Hux,” he groans desperately. He says your name again and again and again, each time a little louder.  

 

You’re stroking yourself faster now in time with his thrusts to get yourself off, but Tebawli is pulling you away from your own building orgasm with the way he’s saying your name.  It sounds wrong. Different. It’s echoing louder in the room, a ragged dark edge to it that doesn’t sound right but you’re so close.

 

“ **HUX!”**

 

Your eyes snap open out of surprise at the scream.  Kylo is staring hatefully down at you behind Tebawli’s shoulder with eyes ablaze in fury.  The edges of Kylo’s body are blurred and flickering in shadows that lick around him like dark flames.

 

There’s no time to make sense of it before your orgasm catches you by surprise as it rips through you.  You arch your back and slam your eyes shut. You’re not sure who shouts your name one last time - Kylo or Tebawli - when you go under in pleasure.

 

By the time you open your eyes again it’s just Tebawli splayed out beside you after finishing his own orgasm.  No shadows. No screaming.

 

No Kylo.

 

You’re not sure what the kark you saw before, but it was probably a trick of the light.  You lay back against the pillows and lazily watch Tebawli pick up a towel and wipe his face before cleaning you up.  For once you’re warm and your headache is gone, which is no small miracle after the time you’ve had dealing with it. It seems like Tebawli is good at what he says after all.

 

Tebawli is under no illusions about his purpose.  Shortly after cleaning you up he shrugs back into his clothing with minimal fanfare.  He turns in the doorway to look at you with another satisfied smile. “Until next time, General,” he says and then leaves you to yourself.

 

You’re too tired and wrung out to remind him of his position.  You have just enough presence of mind to cut the lights before you’re closing your eyes.

 

 

[ You Dream ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505142)

 


	10. Chapter 10

**You Dream**

 

You curse and press your comlink again as if that will solve the static interfering with your communication.  You’re not usually down on Starkiller (you have people to command for that), but the Supreme Leader insists that you provide support to Kylo Ren with one of his missions.  A mission that, _supposedly,_ needs your specific help to achieve.

 

Except you’re walking through the forest with no communication, no working location device, and no kriffing Ren in sight.  The cold bites at you despite the layers of fabric you have on. You turn up the collar of your greatcoat as if that will help against the wind at your neck.

 

Starkiller’s terrain is a harsh icy wasteland of jagged, rocky peaks and deep valleys covered in a blanket of snow.  You hope that Kylo will be easy to spot as a stark contrast of black against the white terrain. It blurs the edges of the bare trees so everything looks like muted smudges of white and grey.  You also hope that this mission will be done quickly and efficiently so you can go back to the order and solid black walls of your ship. The first thing you’re doing when you get out of here is a nice hot shower in the `fresher to warm you up.

 

“Ren?” you call out, but the wind steals your voice and carries it upwards into the canopy of branches.  You scowl, mouth slanted in a harsh line and shoulders hunched forward. The snow crunches under your boots as you determinedly walk towards the last known location point you saw before your electronic went dead.  

 

The wind howls through the trees.  Cold fingers rake through your hair to displace the carefully slicked down strands.  “Ren!” It’s getting harder to see through the snow the further you walk, one foot right after the other in a straight line.  It’s difficult to concentrate with the way the storm seems to be picking up in intensity. Your coat whips around your legs like the wings of a great, dark animal.

 

“REN!”  It’s worse than ever now.  You can barely hear anything, and you can’t see an arm’s length in front of you.  Kark it, you’re going back. You’ll deal with the fallout from the Supreme Leader later, but this isn’t worth your life over some secret mission.  

 

Suddenly the storm cuts out.  The absence of noise is almost deafening after dealing with the howling for so long.

 

“Hux.”

 

The word is breathlessly whispered over the frozen wasteland and rattles through the branches of naked trees to reach your ears.  It’s clear as bell in the sudden silence. You turn sharply behind you towards the sound but all that greets you is the endless expanse of white that’s nearly blinding by the way the light glances off its iced over surface.

 

You try and get your breathing under control.  You are not afraid. You are _not_.

 

“Hux.”

 

It’s louder this time and drawn out like a long, hissing sigh.  Sweat prickles at the nape of your neck despite the cold while your eyes scan your surroundings again (and again and again and again).

 

There is no one.  Just you, the trees, and the snow.  

 

Your breathing sounds harsh in your ears.  “Show yourself!” The rage burning inside of yourself makes you warm.  Your hand drifts towards your belt, only to clench in anger when you touch the empty space where your  blaster should be. “Ren, if this is you playing some sort of childish game!”

 

“ **HUX**!”

 

You stumble back half a step, both from the sound of your shouted name and from Kylo suddenly standing right in front of you.

 

“Kylo!” you snap to cover your surprise.  Your heart is beating hard against your chest.  You hate the way Ren makes you feel, so out of control and off balance.  “What took you so long?”

 

The wind barely stirs the soft dusting of snowflakes against the hardened ice surface.  Some of it catches on Ren’s hair and the tips of his eyelashes. He looks paler than normal and haggard with dark shadows under his eyes.  It’s unnerving the way he looks at you. You almost prefer his helmet.

 

“I don’t have a lot of time,” he says.

 

Irritation flicks through you.  “Oh _you_ don’t have a lot of time?”  You straighten up to glare at him.  “ _I_ don’t either, yet you made me walk all over this karking planet looking for you on this so called-”

 

“ _Look_!” he cuts you off with a rough growl.  His hand darts out to grab your wrist in a crushing grip.  “I don’t. Have a lot. Of time,” he grinds out with barely leashed anger tinged with some emotion that you can’t quite identify.  

 

You’re roughly the same height, but right now he seems to loom over you.  His shadow stretches out and out and out like the tail of a comet. “What do you want?” you say evenly.  You want to rip your arm away from him but he’s much stronger than you.

 

He releases your wrist just as suddenly as he had snatched it a moment ago.  (Maybe he read your mind; he’s always doing that.) You watch him warily as he slides his hand up your arm, past your neck to cradle your jaw in his palm gentle, so gentle.  

 

“Look,” he whispers to you and slowly turns your head.

 

You allow him to crowd you, his body pressed against yours while your eyes take in the white trees, the white snow.      

 

And your red footprints.

 

They stretch out, now in front of you, marking the way you came in a brilliant red color like the bolt of a blaster.  Like the emblem of the First Order.

 

Like blood.

 

A chill goes through you that has nothing to do with the cold.  The compressed snow from your footprints is soaked to a slushy consistency in whatever that red stuff is.  “What?” you say softly. “I don’t…” You trail off unsure of what to say, so you look up at Kylo as if he can give you answers.

 

His eyes are terrible black holes that suck you in.  “I don’t have a lot of time,” he repeats again so quiet as to almost be inaudible despite his face being so close to yours.  He’s so pale. You realize that you can see right through him to the trees beyond. “Hux.”

 

He kisses you and it tastes like ashes.

 

[ Reality ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505163)


	11. Chapter 11

**Reality**

 

You jerk awake with the phantom taste of dust in your mouth.  Your bedsheet is twisted up into a rope that’s somehow wound around your body and trapping your wrist.  

 

“Lights forty percent,” you command.  You run your fingers through your hair and let out a shaky breath before loosening the knot to slip your hand out.  The skin is angry and red (like the footprints) with marks that look like (...fingers?) _nothing_.  It’s just the pattern from the bunched up fabric pressed against you while you slept.

 

And what you felt is just a dream.  The details are quickly fading from memory, chased away by the light of your bedroom, but the feelings still linger of confusion and fear but most of all foreboding.  It settles in your gut like a weight.

 

Kylo is dead.

 

That is a fact, and you take comfort in facts and figures because they are irrefutable and real.  Unlike that mystical nonsense Kylo had believed in.

 

There’s a pounding in your head again.  You take a look at your datapad for the time and decide now is as good as any to get up and start your rounds early.  There’s no going back to sleep now. You pad over to your `fresher to swallow some medication the droids prescribe you for the insistent headache and then chase it down with some water.

 

You stare at yourself hard in the mirror.  Your reflection stares back a little paler than normal and slightly haggard with dark smudges under your eyes.  Your eyes are dark and flat (...like black holes...). You blink again and they’re the same green color as always.  It’s just a trick of the light.

 

You splash water on your face and shake off whatever it is that’s bothering you.  You don’t have time to succumb to what obviously is the beginnings of sleep deprivation.  You have a ship to run.

 

Alone.  

 

\---

 

Except despite your best efforts you can’t shake the feeling that _something_ is bothering you.  It’s unsettling you enough that Lieutenant Mitaka has been subtly giving you searching looks whenever you’re in his line of sight.  You haven’t been avoiding him, not exactly, but you do find ways to be somewhere else that requires your urgent attention whenever he’s around.

 

Your dreams have the same unnerving feeling of mounting fear that involve Kylo in increasingly aggressive ways when you sleep.   It’s gotten to the point that you’ve avoided sleep as much as you can to try to distract yourself to rectify whatever it is that’s plaguing you.  Sex hasn’t helped. Drinking hasn’t helped. Exercise hasn’t helped. Despite your best efforts you always fall asleep at some point and dream.

 

Kylo is dead.  He’s _dead_.  You don’t mourn that fact because it is what it is.  Yet somehow your subconscious is telling you something about that idiot.

 

When you wake up cold and clammy for the fifteenth rotation in a row with the taste of ash in your mouth, you make a decision.  Something must be done. You can’t continue like this with Kylo haunting you. There’s only two beings you trust their opinion on (in so far as you can trust anyone) to get some perspective on this.

 

As much as it burns you to admit it, even to yourself, you need some help.

 

[ Go to Phasma ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505406)

 

[ Go to Snoke ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505619)


	12. Chapter 12

**Go to Phasma**

 

Phasma is the logical choice to make.  You’ve been… friends, of some sort since you were a slip of a boy in the academy.  You’ve been colleagues for nearly as long with a decent rapport built on a foundation of blood and a fierce desire to be the best.  She’s one of the few people you tolerate who can challenge your decisions. She’s also known about your on-again off-again thing you used to have with Kylo.

 

You’re both off duty in the private officer’s gym when you bring it up.  You’re finished and have moved onto some light stretches to finish your cooldown routine.  It’s enough to channel your energy without having to focus too hard on paying attention to your exercises while you talk.  “Phasma, do you dream?”

 

“As in… do I have aspirations of the future?”  She gives you a quizzical look in the gym mirror and does another rep.  “Is this one of your First Order mastermind plans?”

 

You scowl and stretch one arm across your chest to loosen the muscles.  “No.” You hold the position for ten counts and then switch arms. “I’m merely asking if you’ve experienced dreams while sleeping.”

 

You hear the clang of metal on metal when she re-racks her weight.  “Hux, you don’t ‘merely ask’ about something. Especially about dreams.”  She sits up from the bench to stare right at you. “What’s this about?”

 

Her eyes aren’t judging you yet.  That’s unusually tolerant for Phasma because she suffers no fools.  It’s one of the reasons the two of you get along so well. You decide to take it as a positive sign because there’s no turning back now.   

 

You push up from the floor because you’re not having this conversation with Phasma looking down at you while you speak.  “I’ve been having… dreams,” you say stiltedly. “About Kylo.” You lean against the wall to have something at your back.

 

She gives you a wry smile and grabs her towel off the floor.  “What is this? The great General Hux having dreams? So you are human like the rest of us.”  She towels off the sweat from her hair before dropping it around her shoulders. “Hux, having hot and heavy dreams about your pseudo lover who’s now deceased  is normal.”

 

“He’s not my lover!” you snap out whipcord quick.  “He’s not… that’s never. That’s not what this is.”  Anger makes your tongue clumsy. You’re just so tired.

 

She holds up her hands in a sign of apology.  “Okay, hey, my mistake. I didn’t mean to wind you up more than you already are.”  Her eyes scan over you and whatever she finds must convince her of something because she sits up straight with her feet firmly planted on the floor.  “Tell me what it is.”

 

The tension bleeds out of your shoulders.  It’s a relief to have Phasma on your side as a grounding weight in the times you feel as if you’ve come unmoored.  “I’ve been having dreams about Kylo,” you say again and stare off just a little above Phasma’s shoulder. “Always the same dream every time.  I’m on Starkiller meeting Kylo at some destination point for a reason I don’t know. He’s shouting my name in the woods, but I can’t see him until he’s suddenly there in front of me.  I can see right through him.” Your flesh breaks out in raised bumps that make your hair stand on end. You resist the urge to rub your arms.

 

She nods thoughtfully.  “Does he say anything?”

 

“He tells me to listen.”  Over and over and over again.  You can hear the echoes of his voice even when you’re awake.  It slithers down hallways and rattles between your ears like a poisoned whisper.  “Sometimes I see him in the shadows, haunting me. I think I-” you break off to pace because there’s just too much pent up energy to stay still.  It’s rare for you to do so, but this whole thing has you out of sorts.

 

Phasma lets you pace uninterrupted.  She’s used to your nervous energy when you’re wound up so tight and then can finally allow yourself to show it.

 

After a while your pacing stops, but your fingers don’t stop clenching and opening.  “I think it might be a… Force thing,” you admit distastefully.

 

“A Force thing?”  Her tone is perfectly neutral when she repeats your words back at you, yet you still feel a creeping sense of embarrassment that you try to suppress.

 

“I know,” you snap at her in irritation.  Clench. Unclench. Clench. Unclench. “I wouldn’t come to you if I didn’t think this was a serious matter,” you say in a more even tone.  “Ever since Kylo Ren died I’ve had constant headaches, the lights have gone out in rooms despite repeated service requests, and the temperature around me keeps dropping.  I think he’s trying to contact me.”

 

Silence lapses in the gym while Phasma processes that information.  “Has anyone else sensed him? Aren’t Snoke and the new Ren both Force users?”

 

“They are, yes, but as far as I can tell they don’t sense him.”  You’ve done some probing in the past to get an idea if anyone else has sensed Kylo.  You were met with polite confusion from Tebawli and an uncomfortably intense interrogation from Snoke until you had convinced the Supreme Leader it was just idle curiosity and to let the matter drop.

  


“It’s just me that can feel it.  I… .I might be tethered to him somehow.”  You start to pace again. “I was in his room a while ago and I found this odd key.  What if-”

 

“Hux,” Phasma says gently to cut you off.  “I think you’ve been overworking yourself, even for your standards, and this is what happens when you push yourself too hard.  No one is communicating with you through the Force.” She’s standing near you (when has that happened?) and places a hand on your shoulder to stop you.

 

“Go fuck it out of your system with Tebawli, whatever this is,” she continues.  “Take some stims to get what you need to get done, then some conergin to even you out.  And I’ll ask Mitaka to get rid of anything else of Kylo’s so it’s all gone and not subconsciously messing with… whatever it is that’s going on with you.”

 

It sounds so reasonable coming from Phasma.  You reluctantly agree that’s more plausible than the alternative.  What’s dead is dead. You’ve always told yourself this. You square your shoulders.  “You’re right.” You’re acting ridiculous, but you’re grateful that it’s only Phasma who has witnessed your brief departure from reality.

 

“Of course I’m right,” she snorts and steers the both of you towards the locker rooms.  “And because I’m right, we’re going to get off this forsaken ship to a little watering hole I know where you’re going to buy me a drink.”

 

You raise your eyebrows at her.  “Oh am I?” you murmur and walk in step with her.  “I suppose that’s the price of your silence.”

 

Her smile is all teeth.  “It’ll take more than one drink to buy that.”

 

“Mmm.”  Your eyes slide over to the corner of the room and catch a flash of black cape before your gaze darts away.  There’s no one there. It’s just all in your head.

 

And you’ve always been very good at ignoring what goes on in there.

 

###  **THE END** ****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You've reached the end of the story. Why not start again and try a different path?


	13. Chapter 13

**Go to Snoke**

 

Snoke is the logical choice to make.  Even though you never really saw eye to eye with Kylo, you do concede his belief that the Supreme Leader has infinitely more knowledge about the Force and all that mysticism it entails.  Therefore, he would know about your dreams that are seemingly haunted by Kylo.

 

“I am pleased with your progress so far.”  Snoke sits back in his chair. “The Resistance has much to fear from us.”

 

“Thank you, Supreme Leader,” your murmur and curb the satisfaction that ripples through you.  It’s just the two of you in Snoke’s grand chambers for your meeting. This is a perfect time to bring up your concerns.  

 

Snoke seems to pick up on that.  “Is there something on your mind, General Hux?” he asks.

 

You feel a light brush along the surface of your mind.  You try to keep neutral thoughts and say casually, “Oh nothing of importance.”  Snoke’s Force powers usually aren’t so grating when he decides to probe, but right now it’s creating a low buzzing in your ears.  “I was merely wondering how the Force works in regards to non-Force users.”

 

Snoke stills on his throne and you immediately know you’ve misstepped.  “The Force works in ways that even I cannot perceive the full extent of.”  His eyes roll towards you, considering, and you cannot look away. “Is there a Force user I am unaware of on your ship?”

 

The buzzing is getting worse.  “There’s only Lord Tebawli, who is currently off ship on a mission.”  You breathe shallowly and try to keep up your bland expression. The buzzing isn’t painful, but it is loud and feels like little needles prickling all over your scalp.

 

Snoke leans forward as if to get a better look at you.  “Then what is this fascination with the Force, General Hux?  I’ve been well aware of your disdain of it.”

 

“It’s nothing important, just some idle curiosity.”  You’re only staying upright now out of sheer will. The buzzing is interfering with your sense of balance.  “I happened to glance upon some texts when the stormtroopers were clearing out Kylo Ren’s quarters.”

 

Silence settles between you as thick as a blanket.  You try not to project anything. It feels like an agonizingly long time before Snoke makes a dismissive gesture.

 

“That will be all, General.”

 

As immediate as the snuffing of a flame, the buzzing stops and warmth floods your body.  It’s almost dizzying in its intensity. Whatever that was, it wasn’t Snoke inside your mind.  “Of course, Supreme Leader.” You bow and walk out of the room as quickly as it’s proper for your standing.  

 

Your mind is running through several different theories while you swiftly make your way down the hallway.  The best way to tackle this problem of...whatever is going on with you… is to do it head on through determination and research.  Lots of discreet research. You don’t want anyone to find out that you’re digging into Force information lest it gets back to Snoke.

 

Maybe you could bring Captain Phasma into your confidence?  Or possibly Lieutenant Mitaka? But where to start? Kylo was the one who had all this information, and he’s- the files!  A memory suddenly pops up that you can clearly remember in detail. The files were with Kylo’s remains that Lieutenant Mitaka gave you so many rotations ago.  On the heels of that memory you remember that you:

 

[ Saved in Your Quarters ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505655)

 

[ Threw Out in the Trash](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505670) 


	14. Chapter 14

**Saved in Your Quarters**

 

You’re secretly thankful that you had trusted your intuition to save Kylo’s things in your quarters.  They’re spread out now on your desk (the box of ashes and the Darth Vader helmet are stashed away out of sight).  You drum your fingers on your desk in thought as you look at a selection of Kylo’s files jumbled together on the screens in front of you.

 

It’s difficult to know where to start.  You can’t ask Snoke for fear he’s going to want to know much more than you’re comfortable sharing.  You can’t ask Lord Tebawli because you are his superior officer. You also don’t trust him despite your frequent interactions.  There’s no telling if he would let something slip to the Supreme Leader.

 

Fortunately, you have roped Lieutenant Mitaka into your researching efforts.  He thinks you’re still grieving over the loss of Kylo. You’re not going to disabuse him of that notion when it furthers your plans for what you want.  And what you want is to find answers as to what is plaguing you.

 

You reach for your drink perched at the corner of your desk.  It’s an ever present fixture to the end of your shifts to dull your headache.  It accompanies the stims to keep you awake. Your dreams are not pleasant ones to have so you avoid them.  It’s probably the first time in your life you’ve skirted a confrontation with Kylo Ren, but you’re not going to argue with a figment of your imagination.

 

The door to your quarters opens.  “What do you have for me?” Your fingers flick through file after file after file on your holopad.

 

“One of the First Order contacts we use near the Granida Cluster was able to acquire this.”  Lieutenant Mitaka places a datacard on your desk. “It should have some of the Force user information on it that’s been collected from various planets.  It might give you some clues into ah… your condition.”

 

You frown at the use of ‘condition’ as if you were suffering from an ailment.  It’s just some bantha fodder mysticism that you’re unfortunately tied up in. “I’ll take a look at it later.  You’re dismissed.”

 

You glance at your chrono.  You have another meeting coming up about budget expenses.  Unexpectedly, Kylo has left a sizable amount of credits behind.  A good portion of that is now kept safely with you to help fund these discreet Force research inquiries, but the other half is going into the First Order budget.  You will talk with your team about how best to allocate those funds.

 

You slide the datacard into your desk drawer to lock it away from prying eyes.  You’ll have time to sift through the information later. This side mission will not distract you from your larger goals you have of running your ship and fulfilling your duty to the glory of the First Order.

 

You swallow a stim dry and then a pain killer.  It clears some of the heavy fog that always seems to shroud your mind.  Your eyes linger on the locked drawer as you get ready to leave. You have a meeting to lead, but after that you can:

 

[ Look Into It ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505706)

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Threw Out in the Trash**

 

It’s not the first time that you are… annoyed with yourself for your hasty judgment.  (As satisfying as it was for you to throw out everything in the trash compactor and just be done with it.)  You drum your fingers on your desk in thought as you look at more files jumbled together on the screens in front of you.

 

It’s difficult to know where to start.  You can’t ask Snoke for fear he’s going to want to know much more than you’re comfortable sharing.  You can’t ask Lord Tebawli because you are his superior officer. You also don’t trust him despite your frequent interactions.  There’s no telling if he would let something slip to the Supreme Leader.

 

Fortunately, you have roped Lieutenant Mitaka into your researching efforts.  He thinks you’re still grieving over the loss of Kylo. You’re not going to disabuse him of that notion when it furthers your plans for what you want.  And what you want is to find answers as to what is plaguing you.

 

You reach for your drink perched at the corner of your desk.  It’s an ever present fixture to the end of your shifts to dull your headache.  It accompanies the stims to keep you awake. Your dreams are not pleasant ones to have so you avoid them.  It’s probably the first time in your life you’ve skirted a confrontation with Kylo Ren, but you’re not going to argue with a figment of your imagination.

 

The door to your quarters opens.  “What do you have for me?” Your fingers flick through file after file after file on your holopad.

 

“One of the First Order contacts we use near the Granida Cluster was able to acquire this.”  Lieutenant Mitaka places a datacard on your desk. “It should have some of the Force user information on it that’s been collected from various planets.  It might give you some clues into ah...your condition.”

 

You frown at the use of ‘condition’ as if you were suffering from an ailment.  It’s just some bantha fodder mysticism that you’re unfortunately tied up in. “I’ll take a look at it later.  You’re dismissed.”

 

You glance at your chrono.  You have another meeting coming up about budget expenses.  You’re quietly rearranging First Order expenses to help pay for your Force research, and unfortunately one of your officers has noticed something.  It’s nothing you can’t explain away as an error in the system.

 

You slide the datacard into your desk drawer to lock it away from prying eyes.  You’ll have time to sift through the information later. This side mission will not distract you from your larger goals you have of running your ship and fulfilling your duty to the glory of the First Order.

 

You swallow a stim dry and then a pain killer.  It clears some of the heavy fog that always seems to shroud your mind.  Your eyes linger on the locked drawer as you get ready to leave. You have a meeting to lead, but after that you can:

 

[ Research ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505844)


	16. Chapter 16

**Look Into It**

 

Here’s what you know:

 

  * The electrical malfunctions that affect the temperature of any of the rooms you’re in are not an accident.
  * The persistent headaches are not from being overworked (mostly).
  * The surge of strong, often angry, feelings that sometimes engulf you are not your own.



 

You lean back in your chair with another glass of brandy near your hand.  You don’t have a lot of information to go on from the datacards (Ren’s holofiles were all encrypted that you can’t break yet), but you know that these small occurrences add up to something much larger than you would like to admit.  However, you are not a man to shy away from hard truths.

 

Kylo Ren is haunting you.

 

Somehow the two of you are… linked together.  You have no Force training. You have no belief in the mysticism of it.  For all intents and purposes Snoke or Lord Tebawli would have been far better for Kylo Ren to channel his energy into.  Instead he’s got you, and he’s not doing a very good job of communicating with you other than being an irritant (but what else is new?).

 

You roll the cool glass against your forehead in an attempt to alleviate some of the pain.  You’ve about hit your limit for how often you can abuse stims before you crash. There’s just so much work to do between running your ship with greater efficiency and then trying to get a handle on this Force connection without alerting Snoke about what you’re doing.

 

Shadows flicker at the corner of your vision.  It’s Kylo, you know it’s him, forever just out of your range of sight.  It’s bad enough that he haunts your dreams; you don’t need him dogging your every step like a vengeful ghost when you’re awake.

 

The shadows grow.  Something ignites hot with you.  You snatch up your glass and hurl it at the corner of the room.  “Go away!” you snarl. The glass shatters against the wall in an explosion of crystal shards and dark liquid.

 

You drop your head into your hands and press your heels into your eyes until stars bloom behind your eyelids.  The rage is now gone just as quickly as it has come over you. You’re left feeling a weariness that no amount of sleep can mitigate.

Anger will get you nowhere.  What you need to do is center yourself and come up with a plan of action.  Maybe you can make some inquiries into someone off ship that is good at code cracking.  Of course Kylo hasn’t made it easy for you. (When has he ever?)

 

Your datapad lights up alerting you to yet another meeting in an endless amount of them.  You sigh and tilt your head back. Maybe you can rest for a little bit, get a droid to clean up the mess, and then head out to where you need to be next.  All you need is just five minutes to collect yourself. You:

 

[ Close Your Eyes ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505742)


	17. Chapter 17

**Close Your Eyes**

 

“Hux.”

 

It’s so soft at first that you don’t realize your name is being called until it sounds again.

 

“Hux, wake up.  Hux!”

 

You sit upright with one hand already dropped to your side for your blaster.  “You.” It takes you just a second to recognize that it’s Kylo in front of you.  He looks the same as always, tall and lanky with a wild mane of hair and even wilder eyes.“What are you doing here?”  You stand up because you can’t stand being looked down on.

 

“Do you even know where here, is?”  You flinch when he reaches out to you, but all he does is point past you.  “We’re in the Force steam.”

 

You keep a wary eye on him as you look to where he’s pointing.  A jolt goes through you when you see it. It’s… you. Your body is slumped over to the side.  You must have fallen asleep. You raise your own hand in mild wonder and notice that you can see right through it.  You clench and unclench your hand before dropping it to the side.

 

“Explain.”

 

Kylo lifts his palm upward and the familiar walls of your ship melts into black nothingness.  “We’re connected.”

 

“Yes, I get that,” you snap and cross your arms over your chest.  Wind and stardust swirl around the two of you before Kylo settles you somewhere bright and coldly familiar.  It’s the (bloody footprints) grounds of Starkiller. “Why?”

 

Kylo gives you a cagey look before turning to overlook a sharp cliff.  “The Force works in mysterious ways, Hux.”

 

You very nearly push Kylo over the edge out of frustration.  “Don’t give me that karking druk.” You feel as if you’re taking this all remarkably well instead of flying into a rage.  “Why are you haunting me?” Why couldn’t he have just stayed _dead_ ?  “Why can’t you just go to an actual Force user?  Why am I being afflicted with this?” So many questions tumble out of your mouth that you can’t stop now that you’re on a roll and he’s _here_ in front of you, as real as he can be in whatever this ‘Force Steam’ is.

 

Kylo whirls around.  “You would have known what to do if you hadn’t _been so stubborn!_ ” he screams.  His outburst is punctuated by the sound of rolling thunder that echoes off the mountain.  “I gave you all my possessions with the files on what to do, and you have done _nothing_ with it,” he says in a gentler tone, although the lines of his body are still all sharp angles.

 

“Because I can’t read them, you imbecile!” you shout right back.  “Mystic dead language was not in my academic curriculum, _so_ sorry Ren.”  A lock of your hair falls over your forehead and you angrily push it away.  “What do you want from me?”

 

Darkening clouds swirl overhead and cast shadows over the two of you.  He looks you right in the eyes when he says, “Bring me back.”

 

Your lip curls up in revulsion.  “I’m hardly a… a necromancer, Ren,” you sneer.  “I’m a General fighting a war.”

 

Quick as a snake he grabs your wrist and draws you in close until you’re flush up against him face to face.  You flash through a million instances of him grabbing this same wrist in your dreams.

 

“Then you will fight _this_ war, and we will win,” he says evenly.  

 

Ren doesn’t have his lightsaber on him, but that doesn’t mean he is any less dangerous.  You don’t know what he’s capable of doing in this realm. You wonder if he can hurt you. (You wonder if he can kill you.)  

 

“I can guide you on how to do this.”  The wind blows Ren’s hair around and kicks up feather light snowflakes.  “The Force can flow through you.”

 

“I’m not Force sensitive.”  You squash down on the thread of fear winding through you.  You know you’re not. You would have sensed it. Snoke would have sensed it.  Your power doesn’t lie in the unexplained.

 

“You are,” Ren asserts fiercely.  “I’ve started it. And you accepted it.”

 

Ren cups your jaw in one of his large palms (before? … he’s done this?) and forces you to look at him and only him.  “I will unmake you,” he says and gently rubs his thumb across your bottom lip, “and breathe new life into you until you are made whole for me.”  His voice is low as the thunder still rumbling in the distance.

 

Unbidden, a phrase you have read from an old, old text rises up from your memory.  “Ashes to ashes,” you whisper.

 

“Dust to dust,” Kylo returns in kind with a terrible smile that’s all teeth.  “But not for us.” He kisses you again like he has a dozen times before (a hundred… a thousand… a million…) and you understand.

 

You… you have to do something.  Work harder. Leverage your contacts.  Kylo Ren isn’t just haunting you, he’s _possessing_ you to return to the living.  

 

“Get away from me.”  You try and push him away but your hands go right through his body.

 

“Submit to me,” Kylo says.  He takes a couple steps back and you notice they don’t leave marks on the snow.  “I’ve told you already that you can’t reverse this process. Don’t further compound your mistakes.”

 

Your breathing rattles in your chest, mind whirling with possibilities about what you can do.  You only see three viable options that you can take:

 

[ His Help ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505757)

 

[ Do Nothing ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505772)

 

[ Your Own Methods ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505796)

 


	18. Chapter 18

**His Help**

 

As loathe as you are to admit it Kylo is powerful in the Force.  You’ve tried researching on your own and have gotten nowhere. The last thing you want is to lose control entirely and have Ren take over your body (and what happens to you?) for him to complete whatever mad scheme he wants on his own.

 

You sigh and push your nerves away.  “I’m not submitting to you,” you flatly state.  You didn’t do it when he was alive and you’re not doing it now that he’s dead.  You hold up one finger when you see Kylo getting ready to shout at you. “However, we can co-command.”

 

Thunder rumbles but it’s softer this time.  “Co-command,” Kylo says, rolling the word on his tongue in consideration.    

 

“It’s the best offer you’re going to get.”

 

Kylo crosses his arms over his chest.  “What’s to stop me from just taking what I want?”

 

“I’ll go to Snoke,” comes your immediate reply.

 

Kylo’s nostrils flare in anger.  “He’ll kill you.”

 

“He’ll kill _us,”_ you correct.  “I wonder what the Supreme Leader will do when I tell him that his failure of an apprentice is lurking around like a parasite who’s connected to me through the Force.  You obviously don’t want him to know otherwise you wouldn’t have chosen me to Force bond with.”

 

The Supreme Leader is not tolerant of failures or of anything that could be a threat to his power.  You’re only in his good graces because of the purpose you serve as a General. He has no need of someone liable to lose his mind.  You would rather have the control to end it on your terms than to be condemned to something much, much worse.

 

Kylo’s expression crumples in on itself in frustration.  The sky mirrors his mood and screams for him with the repeated sizzle and crack of lightning forking and fracturing across the clouds.  

 

“Fine,” he growls after a while when the storm has calmed down.  “We will co-command together.” There’s a mocking lilt to the end of that.

 

You get a brief moment of triumph over your victory before you feel tight bands around your neck.  Your feet make deep tracks in the snow when you’re dragged closer to Kylo through the Force so you’re face to face.

 

“But you are mine.”  His eyes glitter with the remnants of rage.  “There can be no distractions, not with _anyone._ And I will show you how we can get me to return.”

 

Your breath is coming out in thready gasps when Kylo squeezes your throat a little harder.  It’s a dream, it’s a dream, it’s a dream. “F-fine,” you manage to choke out. You’re in danger of passing out, and you don’t want to find out what happens after that.

 

Kylo watches you struggle for air with an impassive face before he drops you.  “I’m glad we could come to an agreement.”

 

The powder snow explodes around you when you land on all fours.  You’re thankful, at least, that there’s no slushy red snow mixed in.  You cough and get to your feet.

 

“What are the next steps?” you mutter.  You’re fuming that Kylo got the best of you, but now is not the time to stew over it.

 

“We make out connection stronger so I can talk with you like this when you’re awake.”  He’s turned partially away from you to scan the horizon. “You need to take me to the helmet.”

 

You stare at him blankly before it clicks and you scowl.  You were hoping not to see that ridiculous thing again. If you have to deal with another Force spirit you’re not going to be happy.

 

[ Darth Vader ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44506114)


	19. Chapter 19

**Do Nothing**

 

“I’m not doing anything,” you sneer.   You spread your arms out on either side of you.  “This is just a dream, you’re not _real_ .”  Clearly you are having some sort of psychotic break (too much work on the _Finalizer_ but you can schedule some lighter workloads, maybe even grace Lord Tebawli with your presence).

 

To your surprise Kylo does not blow up for not getting his way.  “I’ll see you soon,” he sighs before disappearing.

 

Good riddance.  Now if only you could disappear from this ‘Force stream’ dream and get back to the running of your ship.  You:

 

[ Close Your Eyes ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505742)


	20. Chapter 20

**Your Own Methods**

 

You pin Ren with a pointed stare.  “I’m not going to submit to you. Why should I trust someone who wasn’t smart enough to stay alive?”  Kylo is more likely to get you killed than achieve whatever idiotic plan he might have.

 

Your best bet is to rely upon yourself.  You’ve already done some preliminary research, and you still have all those holofiles that Ren has left you.  “I’ll do this on my own.”

 

Kylo’s fist clenches in anger.  “You’re making a mistake.”

 

“The only mistake I’ve made is entertaining my own delusions for too long,” you sneer.

 

“So be it.”  His body is quickly fading into black smoke that’s spreading out towards you.  It washes over you like a wave and blots out the light into nothingness.

 

You wake up and gasp for breath that’s not entirely your own.  Your lungs feel like they’re coated in a fine layer of ash. You cough to try and make the feeling go away.

 

It’s fine.  Everything will be corrected.  Now you have more information and all you need to do is eliminate the problem.

 

_No._

 

It’s a voice not your own.  You know whose it is.

 

You ignore it and get up from the floor.  You just need to:

 

[ Keep Researching ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505886)


	21. Chapter 21

**Research**

 

Here’s what you know:

 

  * The electrical malfunctions that affect the temperature of any of the rooms you’re in are not an accident.


  * The persistent headaches are not from being overworked (mostly).


  * The surge of strong, often angry, feelings that sometimes engulf you are not your own.



 

You lean back in your chair with another glass of brandy near your hand.  You don’t have a lot of information to go on from the datacards, but you know that these small occurrences add up to something much larger than you would like to admit.  However, you are not a man to shy away from hard truths.

 

Kylo Ren is haunting you.

 

Somehow the two of you are… linked together.  You have no Force training. You have no belief in the mysticism of it.  For all intents and purposes Snoke or Lord Tebawli would have been far better for Kylo Ren to channel his energy into.  Instead he’s got you, and he’s not doing a very good job of communicating with you other than being an irritant (but what else is new?).

 

You roll the cool glass against your forehead in an attempt to alleviate some of the pain.  You’ve about hit your limit for how often you can abuse stims before you crash. There’s just so much work to do between running your ship with greater efficiency and then trying to get a handle on this Force connection without alerting Snoke about what you’re doing.

 

Shadows flicker at the corner of your vision.  It’s Kylo, you know it’s him, forever just out of your range.  You close your eyes. It’s bad enough that he haunts your dreams; you don’t need him dogging your every step like a vengeful ghost when you’re awake.

 

You open your eyes and it’s still just as dark in your periphery.  Something ignites hot with you. You snatch up your glass and hurl it at the corner of the room.  “Go away!” you snarl. The glass shatters against the wall in an explosion of crystal shards and dark liquid.

 

You drop your head into your hands and press your heels into your eyes until stars bloom behind your eyelids.  The rage is now gone just as quickly as it had come over you. You’re left feeling a weariness that no amount of sleep can mitigate.

 

“Hux.”

 

It’s so soft at first that you don’t realize your name is being called until it sounds again.

 

“Hux, wake up.  Hux!”

 

You snap up in your chair with one hand already dropped to your side for your blaster.  “You.” It takes you just a second to recognize that it’s Kylo in front of you. He looks the same as always, tall and lanky with a wild mane of hair and even wilder eyes.“What are you doing here in my quarters?”  You stand up because you can’t stand being looked down on.  You keep the desk between yourself and Kylo.

 

“We’re not in your quarters.”  You flinch when he reaches out to you, but all he does is point past you.  “We’re in the Force steam.”

 

You keep a wary eye on him as you look to where he’s pointing.  A jolt goes through you when you see it. It’s...you. Your body is slumped over on your desk with your head still propped up in your hands.  You must have fallen asleep. You raise your own hand in mild wonder and notice that you can see right through it. You clench and unclench your hand before dropping it to the side.

 

“Explain.”

 

Kylo lifts his palm upward and the familiar walls of your quarters melts into black nothingness.  “We’re connected.”

 

“Yes, I get that,” you snap and cross your arms over your chest.  Wind and stardust swirl around the two of you before Kylo settles you somewhere bright and coldly familiar.  It’s the (bloody footprints) grounds of Starkiller. “Why?”

 

Kylo gives you a cagey look before turning to overlook a sharp cliff.  “The Force works in mysterious ways, Hux.”

 

You very nearly push Kylo over the edge out of frustration.  “Don’t give me that karking druk.” You feel as if you’re taking this all remarkably well instead of flying into a rage.  “Why are you haunting me?” Why couldn’t he have just stayed _dead_ ?  “Why can’t you just go to an actual Force user?  Why am I being afflicted with this?” So many questions tumble out of your mouth that you can’t stop now that you’re on a roll and he’s _here_ in front of you, as real as he can be in whatever this ‘Force Steam’ is.

 

Kylo whirls around.  “You would have known what to do if you hadn’t _thrown me out in the trash!_ ” he screams.  His outburst is punctuated by the sound of rolling thunder that echoes off the mountains.  “Why do you have to be so _stubborn_?” he says in a gentler tone, although the lines of his body are still all sharp angles.

 

You stand your ground.  “What do you want from me?”

 

Darkening clouds swirl overhead and cast shadows over the two of you.  He looks you right in the eyes when he says, “Bring me back.”

 

Your lip curls up in revulsion.  “I’m hardly a… a necromancer, Ren,” you sneer.  “I’m a General fighting a war.”

 

Quick as a snake he grabs your wrist and draws you in close until you’re flush up against him face to face.  You flash through a million instances of him grabbing this same wrist in your dreams.

 

“Then you will fight _this_ war, and we will win,” he says evenly.  

 

Ren doesn’t have his lightsaber on him, but that doesn’t mean he is any less dangerous.  You don’t know what he’s capable of doing in this realm. You wonder if he can hurt you. (You wonder if he can kill you.)  

 

“I can guide you on how to do this.”  The wind blows Ren’s hair around and kicks up feather light snowflakes.  “The Force can flow through you.”

 

“I’m not Force sensitive.”  You squash down on the thread of fear winding through you.  You know you’re not. You would have sensed it. Snoke would have sensed it.  Your power doesn’t lie in the unexplained.

 

“You are,” Ren asserts fiercely.  “I’ve started it. And you accepted it.”

 

Ren cups your jaw in one of his large palms (before? … he’s done this?) and forces you to look at him and only him.  “I will unmake you,” he says and gently rubs his thumb across your bottom lip, “and breathe new life into you until you are made whole for me.”  His voice is low as the thunder still rumbling in the distance.

 

Unbidden, a phrase you have read from an old, old text rises up from your memory.  “Ashes to ashes,” you whisper.

 

“Dust to dust,” Kylo returns in kind with a terrible smile that’s all teeth.  “But not for us.” He kisses you again like he has a dozen times before (a hundred… a thousand… a million…) and you understand.

 

You wake up and gasp for breath that’s not entirely your own.  Sometime during all of this out of body experience you have knocked over your glass.  The liquid trails off your desk and drips on the floor.

 

You… you have to do something.  Work harder. Leverage your contacts.  Kylo Ren isn’t just haunting you, he’s _possessing_ you to return to the living.

 

Your fingers grip the edge of your desk hard enough to bleach out your knuckles.  It’s fine. Everything will be corrected. Now you have more information and all you need to do is eliminate the problem.

 

_No._

 

It’s a faint voice that’s not your own.  You know whose it is.

 

You ignore the shaking of your hands as you upright your glass and pour more brandy.  All you need to do is:

 

[ Keep Researching ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505886)


	22. Chapter 22

**Keep Researching**

 

You’re at your personal desk so often that you might as well take up permanent residence and command your ship from here.  Nothing has helped clarify how you can undo what Kylo has started. Every step of the way Kylo fights you to get you to side with him.  You ignore it and throw yourself into the work. It seems like every new possibility is met with a dead end.

 

You’ve broken three datapads in one rotation because you keep throwing them at your wall in frustration.  (You’re not sure if that’s you or Kylo’s rage that constantly simmers beneath your skin like the bubbling rivers of Shu-Torun.)  Either way, you’re aware that you’ve taken a turn for the worse. He’s getting stronger. Even Phasma has been avoiding you lately lest she incurs your rage.  (And there is just so _much_ of it.)

 

_Rage is strong._

 

The thought isn’t yours.  By now, most thoughts aren’t yours.  

 

You roll your cigarra to the other side of your mouth in thought.  The tip glows bright orange in your nearly dark quarters like the glow of a dying star.  Like the embers of a fire. The ash from your cigarra crumbles and drops into the small mound of ash in your tray.

 

Kylo used to have a mound of ash as well.  It was some sort of funeral pyre on a raised dais with a central light shining down.  It was typically melodramatic of him.

 

_No._

 

All of that was cleared out per your orders and currently it’s just a storage room.

 

_Go anyway._

 

“And do what?” you ask waspishly and take another drag on your cigarra.

 

_Go._

 

“Mmm yes, as eloquent as usual.”  He can’t communicate with you through full sentences or complete thoughts when you’re awake, so you generally don’t try and engage him.  As you’ve discovered, it’s a frustrating effort for the both of you.

 

You feel cold fingers pulling at your clothes, needling your skin, prodding your flesh with vicious jabs that never leave a bruise.  It’s all useless to make you do what he wants. Kylo haunts you so often that the cold has seeped into your core and lays over your body more familiar than a lover’s embrace.  

 

“Fine,” you say evenly.  You finish your cigarra just to make a point before getting up to go.  At the very least it gets you away from all these useless datacards. Maybe there’s something in there that you could use against Ren.

 

Kylo’s satisfaction creeps over you.  He’s hallowed you out until you’re a vessel for him to inhabit like he’s some sort of large droch.  Once upon a time the very thought of that would have filled you with revulsion. Once upon a time you didn’t feel dead inside (the irony is not lost on you).

 

There’s not that many boxes in Kylo’s former room.  Most of it is stacked along the walls and stamped in block lettering to indicate what the contents are.  A lot of it is spare `trooper uniform pieces. You’re displeased to find the contents of one box is haphazardly strewn around.  You kick some of it to the side to deal with later.

 

The dais is gone, but you can still see the large circular ring where the column was.  Your feet stop right at the edge of the circle. “Well?” You don’t know what you’re doing here.  Apparently neither does Kylo judging by the silence in your head. “You were useless in life and you’re useless in death as well.  I don’t know _why_ you’re bothering me, but go somewhere else,” you mutter.

 

You shove your hands into the pockets of your coat.  Your fingers curl around the shape of your lighter. You could use another cigarra  Who’s going to tell you otherwise?

 

 _No._ Ice grips your lungs and digs its claws in deep.

 

You light it anyway.  Kylo may have taken up residence inside you, but you’re still _you._ You grimly inhale the smoke and hold it in your lungs for a beat before breathing out.  The simple act of smoking calms you when Kylo is angrily rattling around in your head. You can’t really catch the words, but you do have the overall impression of _anger_ and _frustration_ and _kill_.

 

That last one you can empathize with.  That doesn’t mean you’re going to tolerate Kylo running around amuck in your head throwing one of his tantrums.  “Stop it,” you snap. Kylo is dizzyingly loud in your head. Your shoulder catches up against the wall as you lose your balance.  

 

The noise surges to a deafening sound.  It rings in your ears and drills down to your core, vibrating in your bones and making your skin feel too tight as if it’s going to burst open.  It’s enough to almost pull you under in his madness if you’re not careful to ground yourself.

 

Without thinking twice about it you jam the lit end of your cigarra into your wrist.  The pain is bright and sharp, but at least it clears your mind.

 

Resentment floats through you.

 

“Well what do you want me to _do?_ ” you growl out.  Your skin throbs, but you push that pain away.  “The files I do have are useless. There isn’t a lot of texts on the Force that I’ve come across so far.  And _you’ve_ been no help except to badger me with your little tantrums.”

 

_Sleep.  Here._

 

You briefly close your eyes.  Sleep will bring you closer to Kylo which is what you don’t want.  It’s easier for him to talk with you in whatever realm your consciousness goes to, but every time you’re there you lose a little more of yourself.  You’re afraid that one day you’ll go to sleep and Kylo will wake up in your place.

 

“No,” you say firmly and push off from the wall.  You don’t have _time_ for this.  Coming into Kylo’s former room is a mistake that you will not be repeating.  

 

You adjust the cuff of your sleeve to conceal the burn mark and ignore the way Kylo is fuming in the back of your head.  On your way out you check your reflection in the small mirror by the door. Kylo’s hateful eyes stare back at you (you ignore that too).

 

There’s nothing to be done about your sallow complexion, but you do smooth down your hair as best as you can to look somewhat put together.  Lately you’ve heard whisperings from your crew about yourself. You’ve done your best to quash that insubordination.

 

You’re fine.

 

[ Everything is Fine ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505904)


	23. Chapter 23

**Everything is Fine**

 

There are matching twin columns of little dots on your arms marching from the inside of your wrists to your elbows.  In the beginning you used to go to the med bay to get something that could erase the marks but now you keep them. The scars serve as a reminder (to both you and Kylo) about who’s in control.

 

_Do you really think you’re in control?_

 

No one so much as twitches at the appearance of Kylo suddenly lounging in one of the empty chairs in the War Room.  His legs are stretched up on the boardroom table with his feet planted on petty officer Thanisson’s datapad. The officer’s arm passes right through Kylo’s leg to take a sip from his glass.

 

“Sooner or later you’ll have to come around to the fact that we need to work together,” Kylo continues.  He's easier to understand when he's not just a bodiless voice echoing inside your head. “I’ll even let you be in charge because I know how much you crave power.”

 

Whereas in life Kylo used to avoid these meetings at all costs, in death he never misses a chance to show up and talk to you.  You can’t banish him in front of other people with a quick press of a cigarra without drawing unwanted attention to yourself. That doesn’t mean your fingers don’t itch for one anyway.

 

You keep your eyes fully trained on the holographic star charts in front of you.  It’s getting harder to do your job with Kylo being everywhere. He’s no longer the fragmented whispers in your head or the fleeting glimpses of his form in reflective surfaces.  He’s walking side-by-side with you down corridors discussing next steps in getting his body back or flying into a violent rage if he feels like he’s been ignored for too long.

 

You never know when that breaking point is anymore.

 

“Sir?”

 

Your head jerks up to look at Lord Tebawli.  “Yes?”

 

Kylo chuckles.  “Slacking off in your duties Hux?  What will your officers say about a General that can’t pay attention?”

 

Tebawli gives you a minute frown.  “We were discussing the re-allocation of some of our operations funds to divert to a strike force team I would command.”

 

You pull up some charts on your datapad to keep your hands busy.  “I am aware of what’s on the agenda for today,” you snap.

 

“Liar,” Kylo murmurs.

 

You actually don’t remember at all because Kylo hadn’t given you much time to review it.  “We’re going to go over the proposal again.” If any of the officers in the meeting disagree with your command then they don’t show it.

 

“It’s commendable how thorough you are, General,” Tebawli murmurs and pulls up some charts.  “As you can see from the map, our stranglehold over Qalydon system, which we use for resources,  is starting to weaken. What we need-”

 

“Why do you tolerate him?” Kylo cuts in.  He disappears from his chair and reappears in front of Tebawli.  “He’s a pathetic replacement for myself.” He walks around the other Knight in a lazy circle.  “His mastery over the Force is barely above the other Knights.”

 

You dig your nails into your palm under the table to keep focused with two separate conversations trying to drag you in.  It’s hard to concentrate with both of them unknowingly talking over each other. You’re only catching fragments of what they’re saying.

 

“-would need credits that we currently don’t-”

 

“It was a mistake to appoint him as the new Lord.”  Kylo tilts his head in consideration while Tebawli continues talking.  “You could do so much _better_.  Why can’t you-”  

 

“-without it, as you can see in figure three, it refers to the factions that are still fully under our command and are willing to lend supplies for our needs,” Tebawli continues on undisturbed by Kylo looming near him.  

 

“-so _weak_.  He can’t even feel this,” Kylo hisses and pushes his hand through Tebawli’s chest.  “What’s the point of a Force user who can’t-”

 

“However we need to strategize long term plans as we spread further out.”  Tebawli taps on some more charts to pull them up. “Quadrant six has-”

 

You bite down on your tongue to prevent a gasp from escaping you when a sudden chill goes through your chest and encircles your heart.  

 

“You feel that, don’t you?” Kylo murmurs in your ear, suddenly behind you.  “Of course you do.” He settles one arm around your shoulders while the fingers of his other hand toy with your heart.  “You can’t hide from me, Hux, I’m in your mind.”

You shudder and clench your hand harder.  You can feel the stutter of your heart and the way Kylo’s fingers are gently working the muscle with feather-light touches.  You’re afraid to know what would happen if he squeezed.

 

“Don’t you agree, General?” Tebawli concludes.  The rest of the officers are looking at you expectantly.

 

“I…”  You clear your throat.  “Of course,” you say stiffly.  Kylo’s form has softened into shadowy smoke that curls around your body and spreads out across the room.  “I’ll have Lieutenant Mitaka allocate the proper funds to you. I believe this concludes our meeting.” You need to leave.  Now.

 

[ Before It Gets Worse ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44505976)

 

[Before You Go Mad](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44506057) 


	24. Chapter 24

**Before It Gets Worse**

 

You’re on the bridge of the _Finalizer_ . It takes you a second to get your bearings.  Every time you surface to consciousness you need a little more time to come back into yourself and figure out how much time you’ve lost.  You glance at a chronometer.

 

Two hours.

 

A blast rocks the ship.  Your eyes scan over the charts flashing across the screens of your crew too quickly take in the situation.  “Fire on my command,” you bark out and stride over towards the front of the ship to get a better look at the dog fight out there.  Two. Six. Thirteen Resistance X-Wings. Your lips peel back in a snarl. Of _course_ he would drop you off in the middle of this.

 

_They were doing fine without you._

 

“Now!” you yell.  Three X-Wings go down in quick succession with a beautiful explosion.  It gets your heart pumping, being in the thick of a battle, and showing what happens if anyone goes up against the First Order.

 

It doesn’t take that long to get control of the situation with a couple of maneuvers and well-timed shots.  The other X-Wings take off in hyperdrive. It’s not really a battle they wanted but perhaps just a reconnaissance mission.

 

You’re still thrumming with energy when you tightly turn around and hand off your holopad to Lieutenant Mitaka.  “You have the bridge, Lieutenant.”

 

You ignore the other man’s surprised affirmative as you stalk off towards your quarters.  You’re too angry to pay attention to Kylo’s voice whispering to you inside your head. The door to your quarters slides shut behind you before you allow yourself to explode.  “You have no right to do that, Ren!” You pull off your gloves and hurl them at Kylo who has now materalized in your room.

 

He leans against your desk.  “It was under control,” Kylo says dismissively.  “I needed your body for a while to meditate about the best next steps.”

 

Your pulse throbs behind your eye.  “Medi- YOU DON’T GET TO CHOOSE WHAT TO DO WITH MY BODY!” you bellow.  There is a (strained) agreement to share your body. No amount of research on your own has helped reverse what Kylo has done.  Your only hope is to begrudgingly work together with Kylo to get his own body instead of inhabiting yours. And then you can be free of him.

 

In the blink of an eye Kylo is looming over you with his hand wrapped around your wrist.  “I don’t think you fully realize who’s in charge now,” he says.

 

You slip your hand into your pocket and pull out your lighter.  “No,” you say and flick it on, “I am perfectly aware of who’s in charge.”  You hold the flame against your scarred wrist.

 

Kylo watches mutely as his hand starts to dissipate under the flame and the reddening of your flesh. First it’s the wrist, then the elbow, then the whole arm disappears in a wisp of smoke until he’s entirely gone.

 

_That won’t protect you forever._

 

You hold the flame just a little longer before clicking it off.  Your breathing comes out in ragged, pained breaths. Your wrist looks like a melted, scarred mess similar to the skin of a hutt than a human’s.  You press the tip of your finger against the newest burn and take in the additional pain. You need it to keep you centered. You can’t afford to lose any more-

 

\---

 

“-time without it then we will have need of the protection you offer.”

 

“I’m glad we can come to an agreement, Queen Chythix,” Lord Tebawli says.

 

You sit silently in your chair next to the Knight.  You’re in a high ceilinged meeting room with the Queen of Zygerria and her high ranking officials.  There’s a spread of food before you that’s almost gone and you feel full.

 

This is the… First Order and Zygerria meeting to talk about forging an alliance that would benefit both parties.  But that wasn’t supposed to happen until another… you struggle to think back.

 

Three rotations.

 

You put the fear aside to wrap up the meeting.  Maybe there’s something you can do. There must be… there’s still time…  Then you can be o-

 

\---

 

“-kay Hux?” Phasma asks.

 

“Hm?”  You’re facing a full length mirror.  There are two free weights in your hand and the muscles in your arms and shoulders  ache as if you’ve done several reps. As if you’ve done more reps than you would have normally done.

 

“Are you okay?”  Phasma continues running on the holo-simulator course.  “You know,” she says and waves her hand in your direction.  “Just about everything. You were zoning out earlier today in the meeting, and I heard from Lieutenant Mitaka that you weren’t yourself when commanding the Stormtroopers last week.”

 

Last week.  You set down the weights before you drop them.  You’ve lost a whole week of time. “I’m fine,” you murmur.  Your image in the mirror says otherwise judging by the way you look so haggard.  There’s a faint brush of stubble on your face. You think you’ve even lost weight, but it’s hard to tell with the loose long sleeve shirt you’re wearing.

 

“You should take some time off,” Phasma suggests.  “I know you have that whole complex about not needing anyone, but you can take a break.”  She steps off the holo-simulator and grabs her water. “Let someone else take command.”

 

Kylo’s long, spindly image appears in the mirror superimposed over your reflection.  He says nothing, but he smiles with lips that stretch and stretch and stretch towards his ears.

 

Without really thinking about it you punch the glass.  A thousand fractured Kylos laugh at you.

 

“Hey!” Phasma shouts.  She runs up to you and grabs your bloodied fist.  “What’s gotten into you?” She flips your hand over to inspect your knuckles.

 

“It’s nothing,” you say and try to tug your hand back.  “I’m fine.”

 

“Sithspit.  That’s not just nothing, Hux.”  She gives you a hard look. “Something's wrong with you.  Why won’t you _tell_ me?”  She tugs your hand back towards her so she can see better.  In the process the sleeve of your shirt scrunches up.

 

In the center of the ruined, melted flesh there’s a raised blackened R carved above the tendons.

 

Phasma’s blue eyes are blown wide in bewilderment.  “Hux… what is this?” she asks horrified. “Hux!”

 

“It’s nothing,” you repeat again.  You use her surprise to slip your hand out of her loose grasp.

 

“Hux!”

 

Everything feels removed from reality.  You barely even notice her desperate grip on your shoulder to try and make you stay.  The black is creeping in again from the edges of your vision. You’re ready this time.  You-

 

\---

 

-curse and press your comlink again as if that will solve the static interfering with your communication.  You’re not usually down on Starkiller (you have people to command for that), but the Supreme Leader insists that you provide support to Kylo Ren with one of his missions.  A mission that, _supposedly,_ needs your specific help to achieve.

 

Except you’re walking through the forest with no communication, no working location device, and no kriffing Ren in sight.  Except you know the cold bites at you despite the layers of fabric you have on. Except you remember turning up the collar of your greatcoat as if that will help against the wind at your neck.

 

You’ve done this.  Before. (A hundred… a thousand… a million…)  You remember. The same dream. Over and over again.

 

“Hux.”

 

This time you don’t stumble back from the sound of your name, or from Kylo suddenly standing right in front of you.  This time you stand tall.

 

“Kylo.”  Calm has settled over you that’s as tranquil and deep as Lerantha Lake.  You no longer feel out of control or off balance. “What took you so long?”

 

The wind barely stirs the soft dusting of snowflakes against the hardened ice surface.  Some of it catches on Ren’s hair and the tips of his eyelashes. He looks healthier than he has in a while with rose coloring his cheeks and eyes that snap with life.  It’s inevitable the way he looks at you.

 

“You don’t have a lot of time,” he says.  His fingers gently encircle your (... scarred,  wasn’t it?) smooth wrist.

 

You’re roughly the same height, but right now he seems to loom over you.  His shadow stretches out and out and out like the tail of a comet. “What do you want?” you say.  You let him keep your arm. There’s no use struggling away from him now.

 

“Nothing,” he replies.  “I have what I want.”

 

You watch him warily as he slides his hand up your arm, past your neck to cradle your jaw in his palm gentle, so gentle.  

 

“Look,” he whispers to you and slowly turns your head.

 

You allow him to crowd you, his body pressed against yours while your eyes take in the white trees, the white snow.      

 

And your black footprints.

 

They stretch out, now in front of you, marking the way you came in a deep dark color like the scorch marks from a blaster.  Like the emblem of the First Order.

 

Like ash.

 

His eyes are terrible black holes that suck you in.  “You don’t have a lot of time,” he repeats again so quiet as to almost be inaudible despite his face being so close to yours.  He’s so full of life. “You should have chosen differently.”

 

He kisses you and it tastes like nothing.

 

###  **THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You've reached the end of the story. Why not start again and try a different path?


	25. Chapter 25

**Before You Go Mad**

 

You’re on the bridge of the _Finalizer_ . It takes you a second to get your bearings.  Every time you surface to consciousness you need a little more time to come back into yourself and figure out how much time you’ve lost.  You glance at a chronometer.

 

Two hours.

 

A blast rocks the ship.  Your eyes scan over the charts flashing across the screens of your crew too quickly take in the situation.  “Fire on my command,” you bark out and stride over towards the front of the ship to get a better look at the dog fight out there.  Two. Six. Thirteen Resistance X-Wings. Your lips peel back in a snarl. Of _course_ he would drop you off in the middle of this.

 

_They were doing fine without you._

 

“Now!” you yell.  Three X-Wings go down in quick succession with a beautiful explosion.  It gets your heart pumping, being in the thick of a battle, and showing what happens if anyone goes up against the First Order.

 

It doesn’t take that long to get control of the situation with a couple of maneuvers and well-timed shots.  The other X-Wings take off in hyperdrive. It’s not really a battle they wanted but perhaps just a reconnaissance mission.

 

You’re still thrumming with energy when you tightly turn around and hand off your holopad to Lieutenant Mitaka.  “You have the bridge, Lieutenant.”

 

You ignore the other man’s surprised affirmative as you stalk off towards your quarters.  You’re too angry to pay attention to Kylo’s voice whispering to you inside your head. The door to your quarters slides shut behind you before you allow yourself to explode.  “You have no right to do that, Ren!” You pull off your gloves and hurl them at Kylo who has now materialized in your room.

 

He leans against your desk.  “It was under control,” Kylo says dismissively.  “I needed your body for a while to meditate about the best next steps.”

 

Your pulse throbs behind your eye.  “Medi- YOU DON’T GET TO CHOOSE WHAT TO DO WITH MY BODY!” you bellow.  There is a (strained) agreement to share your body. No amount of research on your own has helped reverse what Kylo has done.  Your only hope is to begrudgingly work together for Kylo to get his own body instead of inhabiting yours. And then you can be free of him.

 

In the blink of an eye Kylo is looming over you with his hand wrapped around your wrist.  “I don’t think you fully realize who’s in charge now,” he says.

 

You slip your hand into your pocket and pull out your lighter.  “No,” you say and flick it on, “I am perfectly aware of who’s in charge.”  You hold the flame against your scarred wrist.

 

Kylo watches mutely as his hand starts to dissipate under the flame and the reddening of your flesh. First it’s the wrist, then the elbow, then the whole arm is gone in a wisp of smoke until he’s gone.

 

_That won’t protect you forever._

 

You hold the flame just a little longer before clicking it off.  Your breathing comes out in ragged, pained breaths. Your wrist looks like a melted, scarred mess similar to the skin of a hutt than a human’s.  You press the tip of your finger against the newest burn and take in the additional pain. You need it to keep you centered. You can’t afford to lose any more-

 

\---

 

“-time without it then we will have need of the protection you offer.”

 

“I’m glad we can come to an agreement, Queen Chythix,” Lord Tebawli says.

 

You sit silently in your chair next to the Knight.  You’re in a high ceilinged meeting room with the Queen of Zygerria and her high ranking officials.  There’s a spread of food before you that’s almost gone and you feel full.

 

This is the… First Order and Zygerria meeting to talk about forging an alliance that would benefit both parties.  But that wasn’t supposed to happen until another… you struggle to think back.

 

Three rotations.

 

You put the fear aside to wrap up the meeting.  Maybe there’s something you can do. There must be… there’s still time…  Then you can be o-

 

\---

 

“-kay Hux?” Phasma asks.

 

“Hm?”  You’re facing a full length mirror.  There are two free weights in your hand and the muscles in your arms and shoulders  ache as if you’ve done several reps. As if you’ve done more reps than you would have normally done.

 

“Are you okay?”  Phasma continues running on the holo-simulator course.  “You know,” she says and waves her hand in your direction.  “Just about everything. You were zoning out earlier today in the meeting, and I heard from Lieutenant Mitaka that you weren’t yourself when commanding the Stormtroopers last week.”

 

Last week.  You set down the weights before you drop them.  You’ve lost a whole week of time. “I’m fine,” you murmur.  Your image in the mirror says otherwise judging by the way you look so haggard.  There’s a faint brush of stubble on your face. You think you’ve even lost weight, but it’s hard to tell with the loose long sleeve shirt you’re wearing.

 

“You should take some time off,” Phasma suggests.  “I know you have that whole complex about not needing anyone, but you can take a break.”  She steps off the holo-simulator and grabs her water. “Let someone else take command.”

 

Kylo’s long, spindly image appears in the mirror superimposed over your reflection.  He says nothing, but he smiles with lips that stretch and stretch and stretch towards his ears.

 

Without really thinking about it you punch the glass.  A thousand fractured Kylos laugh at you.

 

“Hey!” Phasma shouts.  She runs up to you and grabs your bloodied fist.  “What’s gotten into you?” She flips your hand over to inspect your knuckles.

 

“It’s nothing,” you say and try to tug your hand back.  “I’m fine.”

 

“Sithspit.  That’s not just nothing, Hux.”  She gives you a hard look. “Something's wrong with you.  Why won’t you _tell_ me?”  She tugs your hand back towards her so she can see better.  In the process the sleeve of your shirt scrunches up.

 

In the center of the ruined, melted flesh there’s a raised blackened R carved above the tendons.

 

Phasma’s blue eyes are blown wide in bewilderment.  “Hux… what is this?” she asks horrified. “Hux!”

 

“It’s nothing,” you repeat again.  You use her surprise to slip your hand out of her loose grasp.

 

“Hux!”

 

Everything feels removed from reality.  You barely even notice her desperate grip on your shoulder to try and make you stay.  “Really, it’s nothing. It’s just a minor accident.”

 

The sound of her slap echoes in the gym.  “That’s not an accident!” she screams. Her face is flushed pink with her fine brows creased together in worry.  “That’s not an accident,” she repeats again quieter this time. “Hux, you’re beginning to scare me.”

 

A startled laugh escapes you.  “Beginning?” you say. Oh beginning.  It’s too late for you to undo this mess.  It’s only a matter of time before Kylo possess you completely.

 

You laugh and laugh and laugh into Phasma’s frightened face.  “If only I could,” you say. “If only I could go back to-”

 

[ The Beginning ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44502454)


	26. Chapter 26

**Darth Vader**

 

_I need a stronger connection to the Force._

 

“And this requires your dead relative’s half-melted personal item?”  Your communication with Kylo is stronger since you agreed to work with him.  It’s useful to at least be able to hold full conversations instead of just getting single words and emotional impressions.  Unfortunately, this means he hasn’t shut up about why he needs the helmet. Apparently all the holofiles he’s been reading through have lead him to this conclusion.  However, you haven’t been able to get to the helmet because you have duties and responsibilities to take care of as General of your ship. Just because you agreed to work together doesn’t mean you’re going to bend to Kylo’s every demand.

 

_Channeling the Force requires an immense amount of concentration.  It works better when I have something to focus on to draw up strong emotions._

 

You don’t understand why Kylo can’t just talk to his dead grandfather who’s probably a Force ghost or some such nonsense.  However, asking Kylo about it is a sore point for the Knight and sometimes it’s just better to leave Kylo’s family problems alone.

 

You type in the code to Kylo’s old room (now storage area) and let yourself in.  The box that holds Darth Vader’s helmet is neatly shelved on top of one of the crates.

 

_Careful!_

 

“It’s a helmet,” you say with forced patience as you get it down.  You open the small storage crate and lift out the helmet. It’s still just as ghastly as the last time you saw it.

 

_Put it on the dais.  Right in the center._

 

You sigh but do as you’re told.  You sincerely hope that you won’t have to put on that melted mess.  There’s only so much you’re willing to do for this tentative agreement between the two of you.

 

“Well?” you ask when Kylo hasn’t said anything for a while about what your next directions are.

 

“We have to hold hands,” Kylo says when he appears on the other side of the dais.  “We are linked together and thus our bodies need to be linked together as well.” He extends his arms towards you on either side of the helmet.

 

“And then what?”  You reluctantly raise your arms to meet his and place your hands lightly above his upturned palms.  It feels like a thin sheet of ice where your skin touches his. It’s something to concentrate on other than the acute embarrassment you feel for participating in this mystical stuff.

 

Kylo looks up as if he’s trying to pull something deep from his memory.  “Close your eyes and I’ll do the hard work of channeling the Force,” he answers after a pause.  “I’ll try to draw myself out of your body so I can be independent from you.”

 

“Try.”  Your lips turn down in a frown.  “And if this doesn’t work?”

 

There’s no memory recall this time when his eyes avoid yours.  “Then we’ll be stuck together permanently,” he mumbles.

 

You snatch your hands away.  “Absolutely not!” The very _idea_ of being a host to Kylo for the rest of your life is unthinkable.

 

“Hux!” Kylo grabs for your hands and passes right through them.  “It’ll work!” he says fiercely. “It’ll work,” he says again when he sees you’re not going to storm off in a huff.  “I have my grandfather to center me and I know what I’m doing.” He gives you an imploring look. “Just trust me.”

 

The fact of the matter is that you really don’t trust him.  But you’re between a rock and a hard place and Kylo is still the best chance you have at fixing the mess _he_ got you into in the first place.  You don’t sigh, but it’s a very near thing as you resettle your hands against his and close your eyes.  You feel gratitude lapping at the edges of your mind.

 

“Empty yourself of thoughts,” Kylo says in a low, steady voice.  “Just focus on breathing in and out in time with your heartbeat.”  He repeats this again (a hundred… a thousand… a million) until his voice is just background noise for you in soft sibilant tones.

 

You’re not sure what you’re supposed to feel, but whatever it is it doesn’t seem to be working.

 

Kylo seems to think so too judging by the way he rips his hands from yours and snarls, “There’s no connection!”

 

You shake your hands out to get rid of that chilled feeling.  “I thought you knew how to do this,” you needle him.

 

The lights flare bright above you in his anger.  “I do,” he growls back. “There’s just something… _missing._ ”  He winks out of existence and reappears in a corner of the room.  “Sometimes it’s hard to remember. _You_ try not having a body for a while and see how that impacts your memory.”

 

You let him mutter in anger.  There’s no sense winding him up until he’s in a full fledged rage.  In the meantime you slide your hands into the pockets of your greatcoat to warm them up.  The tips of your fingers come into contact with something hard and you pull it out. It’s the key you found in Kylo’s room from many rotations ago.

 

“That’s it!” Kylo says excitedly when he sees it.  He appears next to you. “How did you know?”

 

“I didn’t,” you answer back.  Truthfully, you were planning on throwing it out but had forgotten it was in your coat this entire time because it was so small.

 

Kylo waves his hand in a dismissive gesture.  “It doesn’t matter, but now we can complete the ritual.”  He points to a section of the dais at the base. “What we need is in there.”

 

You squint to get a better look at what he’s pointing at.  There’s a hairline fracture in a rectangle shape no bigger than the nail of your smallest finger.  If Kylo hadn’t pointed it out you would have never noticed it. You look at the key in your hand. “Ren, I don’t think that-”

 

“Press on it,” Kylo interrupts.

 

A small part of you wants to be contrary, but that won’t get you anywhere.  You crouch down to get better access to the base and gently press the center of the rectangle.  The surface of the rectangle shimmers and then disappears to reveal a small keyhole. You don’t need Kylo’s direction to take the key and slot it into place to turn the lock.  There’s a metallic click and another, larger rectangular door opens up to reveal a pouch nestled inside that’s the size of your fist.

 

“Is this what you want?” you ask when you pull it out.  Trust Ren to have some sort of overly complicated secret compartment in his own quarters.

 

Kylo’s eyes glimmer in the light.  “It’s a powder. You need to sprinkle it around and on the helmet.”

 

The pouch has a string tie which you pull on to open.  The contents look like (...ashes…) a fine grey dust. “You get one more chance and then I’m leaving if this doesn’t work,” you say and follow Kylo’s directions while being careful not to inhale anything.

 

Kylo doesn’t say anything in response.  He appears in his former position and reaches out to you.

 

You set the bag down on the floor and reluctantly (again) place your hands atop his.

 

“Empty yourself of thoughts,” Kylo starts again in his low voice, “and concentrate on me.”

 

You startle in surprise when the helmet starts to glow.

 

It starts off as a soft glow, faint as a dying ember, and you’re entranced with the way it pulses at the very core of the melted helmet.  Each beat it gets bigger until it’s growing out of the helmet, past the edge of the dais and reaches up towards your linked hands.

 

“Kylo,” you say when the next pulse covers your hands and then the light shrinks again.  “Kylo!” you repeat more urgently when your hands start to disappear into nothing. The light pulses again.

 

“Let it happen,” Kylo snaps.  “Look at me.” His face is thrown in harsh shadows from the light as it gets larger and larger.  It covers your wrists, your forearms, your elbows. “Let it happen.”

 

Your heart is beating hard against your chest, your breath in short gasps of shakily controlled breathing as you watch yourself disappear.  Your eyes lock onto Kylo’s dark ones (...like a black hole…) and stay trained on them as your vision is filling with white until there is nothing.

 

[ It Works ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44506147)

 

[ It Doesn’t Work ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44506186)

 


	27. Chapter 27

**It Works**

 

“Hux.”

 

It’s so soft at first that you don’t fully realize your name is being called until it sounds again.

 

“Hux, wake up.  Hux!”

 

Kylo’s face fills your vision when you open your eyes.  “What happened?” you ask groggily. You’re laid out on the floor with a pounding headache behind one eye.  “And stop looming over me, you idiot.” You push him away from you in irritation. Your hands thump against his body.  A _warm_ body.  “It worked,” you say in disbelief.

 

Kylo is monstrously smug.  “I told you that channeling my grandfather would help.”  He easily hauls you to your feet.

 

Seeing Kylo standing in front of you as a real person instead of a Force projection is dizzying.  He looks the same, he even _smells_ the same.  It’s as if he has never died at all.  You shakily reach one hand up and touch the side of his face.  “Are you… real?”

You feel like an idiot saying it out loud, but it’s hard to believe.

 

His smirk turns into a leer.  “I can definitely show you more of me if you need proof about how real I am.”

 

On second thought, maybe it was better when he was dead.  Your face heats up in embarrassment. “Don’t be crass,” you snap and shove him away.  

 

He stumbles backwards and passes right through the dais.  He winces as if the sensation was unpleasant for him. “Okay, so it mostly worked,” he says and pats down his body.

 

You sigh and scrub a hand across your face.  “What else is wrong?” It’s best to know now so you can be prepared for it.  You’re tired of these constant surprises and setbacks when you’re supposed to be running your ship.

 

“I wouldn’t say wrong,” he hedges.  His fingers flex and the Darth Vader helmet lifts ten centimeters off the dais before thumping down with a puff of ash.  “My connection to the Force is… strained… at this time.”

 

“Can anyone else see you?”  How can you explain that Kylo Ren is suddenly back from the dead?  It’s going to wreck with the order of your system when Lord Tebawli is still here.  You don’t need two masters of the Knights of Ren under you. What if the Supreme Leader demands that you co-lead again?

 

“I’m not sure.”

 

Well, that’s supremely helpful to you.  “Stay here for now,” you command. You need to get back to your duties and then afterwards you can attend to this new problem.  The pounding behind your eye gets a little worse. As if you need more stress on top of all the other problems that you have.

 

Kylo shoots you a disgruntled look.  “What am I supposed to do in the meantime?”

 

You wave your hand in the air.  “Meditate for all I care.” The bickering and the antagonizing is as familiar as the weight of your blaster.  You take comfort in the routine of it after having felt so off-kilter since this whole thing started.

 

There’s sputtering at your back but you tune it out.  Kylo is not your concern at the moment. No one is around to catch you exiting Kylo’s former quarters when you leave.  It’s a small miracle indeed.

 

You get no more than down two hallways when suddenly there’s a pulling feeling in your core followed by something cold radiating from inside you.  You stumble in surprise and catch yourself against the wall. It’s Kylo.

 

“Get out,” you growl under your voice.  “I thought I told you to stay behind.” You can hear `troopers talking down the other end of the hallway.  The last thing you want is to draw attention to yourself.

 

_I can’t.  We’re tethered together still._

 

You grind your teeth together in frustration.  There’s nothing that you can do at this time, and you can’t cancel your meeting.  You abhor any shirking of your duties.

 

“Then stay quiet.”  You’ll have to deal with this later.  After that you can decide what to do:

 

[ Work Separately ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44506285)

 

[ Work Together ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44506321)


	28. Chapter 28

**It Doesn't Work**

 

You come to flat out on your back in a raging inferno.  The Darth Vader helmet is belching out flames from every opening.  The crates are on fire and thick smoking chokes the room of air. The flames are so high that they disappear into the smoke that’s rolling along the ceiling.  You cough and throw a sleeve over your mouth. “Ren?” you croak out and scan the floor for him, but it’s hard to see a handbreadth in front of your face.

 

Something happened.  Something went wrong.   You don’t know how long you’ve been out since the white light you saw, but your eyes are watering and your lungs ache from smoke inhalation.

 

You groggily roll over and crawl on your elbows towards the door.  Sweat coats your back and makes your clothing stick to your frame. It’s so hot.  The fire alarm is wailing, adding to the amount of noise in your head that feels like it’s been stuffed with cotton.

 

The entire ship is built with failsafe doors in case of a breach in security.  It can be opened with a code in case someone needs to get out. However, when you get to the sliding door you notice that it’s been knocked off the track so it’s stuck with a five centimeter opening.

 

You cough again and slam your hand against the door in anger.  The door isn’t going to open like this. You keep your head down and breathe through the fabric of your coat while you frantically try to think.  The soles of your feet are growing hot as the fire gets closer to you. What can you do? What can you do? You don’t have your datapad and your com is missing.

 

You have to do _something_ to try and get out.  The emergency team is going to be here soon, alerted by the alarms, but you don’t have a lot of time to wait for them.  

 

In desperation, you grab the edge of the door and try and push at it.  Sweat is rolling down your face in fat beads as you grunt and push harder.  “Come on!” you shout. The door shudders in its track and moves open another centimeter.  “Come on!” The muscles in your arms are screaming against the strain of trying to force the blaster door open.  Panic is building in your chest, a tight pressure that feels like it’s going to burst out of you, and you _will_ the door open to let you out.

 

There’s a screech of metal grinding against metal before the door slides open.  Your body flops against the floor on the other side, a coughing fit racking your body, but you thankfully suck in cooler air from the hallway.

 

There’s shouting above you but you can’t make sense of the words.  Sets of hands grip you under your arms to drag you away. You think you see a glimpse of Ren but it’s lost in the haze of the emergency team swarming you and wavering in your vision.

 

\---

 

You come to awash in white.  You’re not happy with losing consciousness for a second time in so many hours.  The white sheets rustle under you when you move to sit up in bed. Your breathing is easier and your eyes don’t sting anymore which is a small relief.

 

“General Hux,” Lord Tebawli says.  You didn’t even notice him sitting next to your bed.  “So glad to see that you’re finally awake.”

 

You frown.  “How long have I been out?”  You push your hair back from your forehead to try and get it into some semblance of order.  You have a feeling it’s spiked up in an unflattering fashion.

 

“Three rotations.”

 

Shock lances through you.  “Three rotations!” you repeat in disbelief.  Rage flares up within you and burns as hot as the fire you were pulled from.  You’re so angry you could choke Ren for his idiotic actions. You missed your meeting with the Supreme Leader.

 

“You sustained a lot of serious injuries from the accident, General.  Fortunately, the emergency team was able to pull you out and get you into a bacta tank,” Tebawli continues.  “You were lucky you were able to push open the blaster doors.” He gives you an assessing look. “They say that people are capable of superhuman feats when under stress.”

 

You’re still reeling about the loss of time that you barely register his comment.  You have a vague impression of pushing the door open to get out. “What have I missed?” you ask a little more gruffly than warranted.  Lord Tebawli hands you over a datapad and you quickly start reading through the executive reports.

 

“Nothing important that couldn’t be handled by the crew,” he responds.  “Except that Supreme Leader Snoke wants to meet with you.”

 

Your fingers flick through the reports.  “Yes, I know I was supposed to check in with him.  I’ll make sure to report to him today.” You need a proper shower first and change of clothes to feel like your usual self.

 

Lord Tebawli clicks his tongue.  “The Supreme Leader is here.”

 

A chill runs up your spine.  “What do you mean here?”

 

“The _Supremacy_ is here.  He would like you to meet him immediately.”

 

_Don’t go._

 

Oh _now_ Kylo decides to show up.  You send violent thoughts his way as you try and figure out the best course of action.  “I see, thank you Lord Tebawli.” Your fingers flex around the datapad. “If you can tell the Supreme Leader that I shall be there as soon as I am presentable.”

 

“Of course, General.”  Tebawli leaves you to yourself to collect your thoughts.

 

_You can’t go.  Don’t trust him._

 

“I heard you the first time,” you snap and swing your legs off the edge of the bed.  You feel a sense of vertigo that you grimly beat back. A clean change of clothes is neatly folded on a small side table.

 

_I can sense him in the Force._

 

You ignore him in favor of slipping out of your medical scrubs and into the familiar comfort of your uniform.  You can see Kylo in the reflection of the mirror as you smooth your hair down again. “I don't want to hear about the Force from you.”

 

 _He’s not happy, Hux._  There’s an urgent undercurrent to his low tone.

 

You bare your teeth at the reflection of Kylo with fire snapping in your veins.  “Well _I’m_ not happy either, Ren.  You karked up whatever you were supposed to do and now I’m _stuck with you_!” you end in a bellow.

 

The mirror shatters.  A thousand fractured Kylos glare back at you.

 

_That wasn’t my fault._

 

You briefly shut your eyes and breathe in deep to reign in your temper.  “Just get your Force powers under control,” you say in the silence. “The last thing I want is another outburst, especially in front of the Supreme Leader.”

 

 _That’s not me._  The Kylos in the mirror bleed together like liquid, running along the spider web of cracked glass until it’s just one image of him reflected in the largest jagged piece.   _It’s us… the Force… it’s channeled between us now._

 

You turn away from him.  “Then get it under control,” you grind out.  You’re done listening to Kylo. You settle your greatcoat around your shoulders before striding out of medical and towards:

  
[ The Supremacy ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44506228)


	29. Chapter 29

**The Supremacy**

 

The Supreme Leader is sitting on his throne chair backlit by the brilliant red (... bloody red…) walls.  He stands out with his pale skin and dark golden khalat robes against the spartan black and red room. The Praetorian Guard’s in the room are so still that they blend into the background like red statues.

 

“Your officers tell me there was a recent problem that involves you which was severe enough to bring to my attention.”  His hands are casually resting on the great flat arms of his throne. They look so deceptively small and feeble that it’s jarring to you.  It’s so unlike the larger than life hologram you’re used to seeing.

 

You’re under no illusion as to who informed Snoke.  “Yes, Supreme Leader,” you answer. You’re standing a respectful distance away from Snoke, back straight and hands loosely folded behind you.  “However, everything is under control. I’ve taken care of it.”

 

“Have you?” Snoke questions softly.

 

You don’t need the invisible pressure from Kylo against your tongue to stay silent.  You didn’t get to where you are today by being rash. Snoke is not pleased with you and the last thing you want to do is incite his ire.

 

He leans back on his throne.  “There has been an awakening. Have you felt it? There's something more,” Snoke says.  His stare has you pinned in place.

 

“I have not,” you answer carefully and keep your gaze steady.  Kylo isn’t speaking to you, but his emotions are beating against the inside of your skull and amplifying your own feelings of uneasiness.  “I am sure Lord Tebawli might be best suited for this conversation, Sir. I’m afraid I do not have the aptitude for the Force.”

 

“ _You_ do not,” Snoke agrees, “but my former apprentice, son of darkness, heir apparent to Lord Vader, Kylo Ren _does._ ”  Snoke’s eyes are like two chips of ice peering out from under heavy brows.  “Do you know why I keep a non-Force user in such a place of power?”

 

Apprehension stirs within you while you’re subjected to his gaze.  You try and keep your mind empty for the Supreme Leader to skim through it.  “I’m afraid I do not know that answer.”

 

His eyes slide away from yours to contemplate something across the room.  “A cur’s weakness, properly manipulated, can be a sharp tool.” He laughs once, a harsh mirthless sound, that echoes in his chamber.  “But a tool that does not fit its proper objective has outlived its usefulness.”

  

“I-I understand,” you fumble out.  Kylo is lashing around inside your mind whispering for you to get out.  “I will continue to serve you well for the good of the First Order.”

 

“See that you do.”

 

It’s a clear dismissal, and you’re relieved to leave the room.  You give a quick bow and turn around to stride towards the doors.  You just need to get back to your chambers to take a shower and then regroup.  Your carefully laid out plans have been unacceptably derailed to-

 

_Hux!_

 

Your arm jerks backward without thought, fingers splayed to just barely deflect a bolt of Force lightning that was headed right towards you.

 

Three of the Praetorian Guards rush at you with weapons drawn but Snoke holds his hand up to stop them.  “How disappointed I am in you, General Hux, that you think you can lie to me.” He twists his hand and crooks his gnarled fingers at you.

 

Your body is locked together in a full bind that’s hard enough to squeeze your bones together.  You can’t speak as you’re pulled towards the Supreme Leader. Your heart is stuttering in your chest.   

 

“I cannot be betrayed; I cannot be beaten. I see his mind, I see his every intent.”  Snoke looms in front of you to stand at his full height. “Even in death, as long as there’s a fiery spit of hope that he carries, I am connected to him.”  His fingertips crackle with lightning that he directs at you again.

 

_I can’t!  The Force, it’s closed off to me._

 

The electricity sizzles around your body and lights up your organs.  It feels like you’re on fire. It feels like you’re dying. You almost wish you are.

 

You can’t scream with your jaw forced shut, but you can hear Kylo howling in your mind.  You desperately try and stay focused on that instead of the cage of white light around you.

 

Sweat soaks through all your layers by the time Snoke releases you.  You crumple in a heap on the floor, muscles spasming and little bolts of lightning still flitting around your trembling form.  Against your best efforts an unintelligible, raw sound of pain escapes past your cracked lips. You roll onto your side, sucking in shallow lungfuls of air.  Your head jerks up as if on a string to look up into the Supreme Leader’s gaze that is filled with hateful contempt.

 

“Do you think I am so foolish as to not recognize your Force signature?”  He sits back on his throne with a gentle swishing of robes.

 

There are mental fingers digging callously through your mind, diving deep and deeper still.  You don’t have any Force defenses against it, you don’t know _how,_ and Kylo can’t get to them either.  The union between the two of you is still too new to have practiced anything.

 

“Speak,” Snoke demands.  “You cannot hide from me.”  Something buried deep inside you suddenly gets pulled taut.  

 

_No!_

 

“I’m sorry!”  The voice that is ripped out of you is not your own.  “Master, I didn’t mean-”

 

“Do not speak such lies to me!” Snoke cuts off.  His fingers flick lightening at you again (and again and again and again).  “What foolish plans did you have that required you to hide behind a weak man?  Did you think you could gain power over me?”

 

Your lips open up on its own accord.  “N-no! I wouldn’t betray you, please!”  

 

_I wouldn’t.  I wouldn’t. I wouldn’tIwouldn’tIwouldn’tIwouldn’t._

 

Your mouth is forming a breathless litany of tortured apologies against the durasteel floors at Snoke’s feet.  You’re not sure if it’s you or Kylo saying them. Your thoughts are fractured into a billion particles, too small for you to hold onto one coherent one.

 

The lightning stops.  It takes you a long moment to realize you’ve ceased forming words.  And even longer to realize it’s because Snoke has robbed you of your voice.

 

“You are just two children playing at power,” Snoke murmurs.  He draws you up from your inelegant sprawl on the floor so you’re dangling in front of him.  “But you don’t know what real power is.”

 

Your fingers weakly scrabble at your throat as if that can help.  “Sss-stop,” you choke out. The toes of your boots are scuffing against the floor for purchase.

 

The Supreme Leader sneers at you.  “I will kill you and with it Ren. Only then can I rid myself of this unfortunate blemish against the First Order.”

 

Black spots dance in front of your eyes, yawning wider and wider in front of you.

 

_Hux._

 

Ren.

 

The Supreme Leader clenches his fist.

 

###  **THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You've reached the end of the story. Why not start again and try a different path?


	30. Chapter 30

**Work Separately**

 

You close down your star chart projections and rub the bridge of your nose.  You can feel a prickling pull at the edge of your mind which tells you that Kylo is trying to stretch beyond the boundary that tethers the two of you together.  Most of the time he’s able to move around independently of you when he needs to research or meditate. Occasionally, if his tasks require him to travel far, he will control your body while you mentally rest during your sleep cycle.  It’s not ideal, but it is a solution that works for the both of you. Unless Kylo forgets himself.

 

_I need you._

 

You frown at Kylo’s demanding tone.  The two of you have established a mental communication to talk to one another when you’re in different parts of the ship.  Mostly it’s Kylo complaining about not getting as far as he would like or trying to insist that the two of you should work together to get his body back.

 

“Many people need me, Ren,” you say and start to tidy your desk.  You accidentally slam your desk drawer shut a little harder than normal.  It’s now slightly bent out of place, which is just another thing added to your long list of things you have to take care of.

 

One of the side effects of Kylo sharing a body with you is that it’s almost tripled your strength.  Considering you spend most of your time commanding troops and organizing the war from afar, the extra strength is a source of annoyance rather than a positive benefit.  You’ve broken three datapads from gripping it too tightly.

 

Kylo materializes in the chair Lord Tebawli usually sits in during your meetings.  “You should prioritize the work that I am doing. I thought you wanted me out of your body.”

 

“I do,” you snap.  Of course you do. Every rotation with the two of you stuck together is another intolerable action against you.  However, you have duties that need your attention and you can’t faff off whenever you feel like it like Kylo used to do when he was alive.  

 

“Then why don’t you-” he abruptly goes quiet and snaps his head towards the door.  His whole countenance changes from one of petulant annoyance at not getting his way to hostile anger that has him puffed up like a Bonegnawer.  You don’t need to guess who he’s reacting to.

 

“Lord Tebawli,” you greet when the door to your office slides open.

“I thought we could walk together,” he says.  “Unless you’re busy getting some last minute details in order.”  For once his helmet is on, but you can still picture his face and the slightly suggestive smile he always seems to reserve for you when the two of you are alone.

 

“Send him away, Hux.  You don’t need him around,” Kylo sneers.  He’s standing close to the Chiss as if trying to intimidate him.  You have no doubt that if Kylo had his lightsaber he would try and run it through Lord Tebawli.  “His skills were useful for some of the missions we were on together, but he plays both sides of the field.  He craves power.”

 

You’re briefly jealous that Lord Tebawli can’t sense Kylo at all.  It is a task to constantly try to actively ignore the former Lord. “No, it’s fine.”  There’s nothing else you need to do to prepare for another diplomatic mission you’re being sent on by the Supreme Leader.  “We can walk and talk.”

 

You pick up your greatcoat from where it’s draped over the back of the chair and shrug it on.  Despite the extra layer you can feel the cold seeping into you from Kylo’s hard stare.

 

_Watch your back._

 

You’re not sure if that’s a threat or a cautionary statement.   

 

\---

 

The Queen of Zygerria is shrewd, and it has taken a long time to negotiate between her and the high ranking officials flanked around the table.  The spread of food that was laid out at the beginning of the discussion is now picked over and the wine from your glass is almost gone.

 

Despite the long discussions you feel sharp satisfaction coursing through your veins about things going according to plan.  Occasionally it is important to personally attend these meetings to show the might of the First Order. It’s made even better by the fact that you have not had to juggle half a conversation with Ren.  The Knight has been silent inside of you to let you do your work. Luckily, Lord Tebawli has also been quiet to let you lead the mission. For once it seems like the stars are in alignment.

 

“I’m glad we can come to an agreement, Queen Chythix,” you say.

 

The Queen gives a brief smile that appears and and then disappears again.  “Of course, General Hux. I’m sure the alliance between both of us will benefit our parties during this time of war.”

 

She gestures towards one of the attendants waiting in the wings of the hall.  “Perhaps we can have a toast to officially celebrate?” she asks. The attendant quickly walks over with a tray in hand laden with delicately crafted chalices.

 

“It would be my honor,” you agree.

 

You would prefer not to, but the Zygerria are a proud race and it would be seen as an offense to decline the offer.  The last thing you want to do is jeopardize the mission when the Supreme Leader has made it crystal clear how important this alliance is.

 

The attendant sets down the glasses for everyone while another silently follows to pour.  It’s a deep berry color liquid that swirls around in your glass.

 

“To Zygerria,” Queen Chythix says and raises her glass.

 

“To the First Order,” you respond in kind with Lord Tebawli following suit.

 

You take a small sip of your wine, wondering how much to imbibe is polite.  The high chime of the chalices clinking together still rings clear above the muted cheers of the court.  Some sort of special chalice? It’s still a tinny whine, and you abruptly realize it’s not coming from your glass but from your ears.  

 

A sudden wave of vertigo overcomes you that you barely notice the chalice dropping from your nerveless fingers.  Your body follows the same pathway to the ground. Everything is syrupy slow to you from the way Lord Tebawli springs up to attack the assassins that have dropped into the room to the way Queen Chythix looks down upon you with superiority.    

 

Rage, too strong to contain, explodes out of you and channels into your outstretched fingers.  You jerk your arm to the side and hurl the Queen across the room. Tebawli is off in a corner beating back his own opponents.  You don’t have time to do anything else before black spots swallow up your vision. The last thing you can make out is Ren hovering above you.

 

\---

 

You come to awash in white.  The white sheets rustle under you when you move to sit up in bed.  There’s no more ringing coming from your ears and it seems that your fingers have the same dexterity as usual.  You have the faint ghost of a headache curled around the base of your skull.

 

“General Hux,” Lord Tebawli says.  You didn’t even notice him sitting next to your bed.  “So glad to see that you’re finally awake.”

 

You frown.  “How long have I been out?”  You push your hair back from your forehead to try and get it into some semblance of order.  You have a feeling it’s spiked up in an unflattering fashion.

 

“Three rotations.”

 

Shock lances through you.  “Three rotations!” you repeat in disbelief.  Rage flares up within you and burns as hot as the fire you were pulled from.  You’re so angry you could kill everyone on Zygerria for their treachery. You missed your meeting with the Supreme Leader.

 

“You sustained a lot of serious injuries from the ambush, General.  We were not prepared to fight that many assassins. Fortunately, I was able to evacuate you and get you into a bacta tank,” Tebawli continues.  “It’s fortunate that the Queen was neutralized.” He gives you an assessing look. “The betrayal was taken care of.”

 

You’re still reeling about the loss of time that you barely register his comment.  You have a vague impression of dropping to the floor and Kylo raging in your mind. “What have I missed?” you ask a little more gruffly than warranted.  Lord Tebawli hands you over a datapad and you quickly start reading through the executive reports.

 

“Nothing important that couldn’t be handled by the crew,” he responds.  “Except that Supreme Leader Snoke wants to meet with you.”

 

Your fingers flick through the reports.  “Yes, I know I was supposed to check in with him.  I’ll make sure to report to him today.” You need a proper shower first and change of clothes to feel like your usual self.

 

Lord Tebawli clicks his tongue.  “The Supreme Leader is here.”

 

A chill runs up your spine.  “What do you mean here?”

 

“The _Supremacy_ is here.  He would like you to meet him immediately.”

 

_Don’t go._

 

You send violent thoughts Kylo’s way as you try and figure out the best course of action.  “I see, thank you Lord Tebawli.” Your fingers flex around the datapad. “If you can tell the Supreme Leader that I shall be there as soon as I am presentable.”

 

“Of course, General.”  Tebawli leaves you to yourself to collect your thoughts.

 

_You can’t go.  Don’t trust him._

 

“I heard you the first time,” you snap and swing your legs off the edge of the bed.  You feel a sense of vertigo that you grimly beat back. A clean change of clothes is neatly folded on a small table.

 

_I can sense him in the Force._

 

You ignore him in favor of slipping out of your medical scrubs and into the familiar comfort of your uniform.  You can see Kylo in the reflection of the mirror as you smooth your hair down again. “I don't want to hear about the Force from you.”

 

 _He’s not happy, Hux._  There’s an urgent undercurrent to his low tone.

 

You bare your teeth at the reflection of Kylo with fire snapping in your veins.  “Well _I’m_ not happy either, Ren.  You karked up whatever you were supposed to do and now I’m _stuck with you_!” you end in a bellow.

 

The mirror shatters.  A thousand fractured Kylos glare back at you.

 

_That wasn’t my fault._

 

You briefly shut your eyes and breathe in deep to reign in your temper.  “Just get your Force powers under control,” you say in the silence. “The last thing I want is another outburst, especially in front of the Supreme Leader.”

 

 _That’s not me._  The Kylos in the mirror bleed together like liquid, running along the spider web of cracked glass until it’s just one image of him reflected in the largest jagged piece.   _It’s us… the Force… it’s channeled between us._

 

You turn away from him.  “Then get it under control,” you grind out.  You’re done listening to Kylo. You settle your greatcoat around your shoulders before striding out of medical and towards:

 

[ The Supremacy ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44506228)


	31. Chapter 31

**Work Together**

 

“Remind me again why we’re doing this,” you mutter.  The sweat is collecting at the nape of your neck and following along the line of your spine.  The muscles in your arms burn when you haul yourself up higher and dig your feet into the small foothold Kylo leaves for you.

 

The planet Kylo has dragged you to in your Upsilon-class shuttle is a remote jungle planet in the Outer Rim.  Impossibly humid with overgrown terrain, it is an unforgiving planet that requires you to be on your toes lest the wildlife drag you under.  It is unbearably hot during its summer season, so it’s beyond you why Kylo would choose this planet at this time to train.

 

“Because it will help,” Kylo responds.  “If we want to work together then we’re going to have to be together.”  Unlike you, Kylo is easily climbing hand over hand to scale the side of the rock wall you’re both climbing.  You can’t tell if it’s because he’s always been more fit than you, or if the lack of a real body means he doesn’t experience the same physical stress.

 

You don’t know how long you’ve been climbing but by now it’s mechanical.  Grab onto a rock, dig your feet in, pull up. Grab a higher rock, dig your feet in, pull up.  Over and over again to get to this specific spot Kylo apparently needs.

 

You breathe out hard through your nose.  “We have,” you grunt out and grab a rock, “perfectly fine,” dig your feet in, “areas on the ship for this,” you finish and pull yourself up.  Your fingers slip off your handhold and your stomach lurches when you fumble backwards.

 

A strong hand wraps around your wrist.  “Just trust me on this, Hux.” Kylo pulls you up and over the top of the ledge without a second though.  “You’re learning about the Force. It isn’t something that can be analyzed in a lab.”

 

Your heart is still beating hard against your ribs at the near fall.  Your undershirt is a soaked mess from the climb. “Let’s just get this over with.”  A flying insect lands on your shoulder. You flick it away before its needle nose can puncture your skin.

 

“Hux,” he says.  

 

The serious note in his voice compels you to look up at him.

 

“We do this together.”  His hand is still gripping your wrist.  “We’ll be something new. Stronger. More powerful than Snoke could even imagine.”  His eyes are boring into you (...like black holes…) as if he’s trying to pour himself into you and fill you up.

 

You jerk yourself out of his hold to break the connection.  “As long as you don’t try and possess me, then I agree that we should work together.”  You still don’t entirely trust Kylo.

 

“You are mine,” he says soft as the wind rustling through the leaves overhead.  “There can be no one else. _Nothing_ will come between us.”  There’s a possessive curl to his words.  It drops a bead of heat down into your stomach where it pulses like an ember.  It feels like the beginning of a different kind of possession. It’s one that you’re not sure if you want to disengage yourself from.

 

“I,” your voice dies out and you clear your throat.  “I believe we’re here to start this so-called Force training.”  

 

Kylo steps away from you and leads you towards a circular clearing near the cliffside.  “Then let’s begin,” he says, beckoning towards you. He makes no footprints in the tall grass.

 

You follow him and resolutely do not turn around to determine what kind of footprints you make.

 

\---

 

The Queen of Zygerria is shrewd.  It has taken a long time to negotiate between her and the high ranking officials flanked around the table.  The spread of food that was laid out at the beginning of the discussion is now picked over and the wine from your glass is almost gone.

 

Despite the long discussions you feel sharp satisfaction about things going according to plan.  Occasionally it is important to personally attend these meetings to show the might of the First Order.  It’s made even better by the fact that you have not had to juggle half a conversation with Ren. The Knight has been silent inside of you to let you do your work, although you feel him watching inside of you at the proceedings.  It seems like the benefits of diplomacy is sinking into him.

 

“I’m glad we can come to an agreement, Queen Chythix,” you say.

 

She gives a brief smile that appears and and then disappears again.  “Of course, General Hux. I’m sure the alliance between both of us will benefit our parties during this time of war.”

 

She gestures towards one of the attendants waiting in the wings of the hall.  “Perhaps we can have a toast to officially celebrate?” she asks. The attendant quickly walks over with a tray in hand laden with delicately crafted chalices.

 

“It would be my honor,” you agree.

 

You would prefer not to, but the Zygerria are a proud race and it would be seen as an offense to decline the offer.  The last thing you want to do is jeopardize the mission when the Supreme Leader has made it crystal clear how important this alliance is.

 

The attendant sets down the glasses for everyone while another silently follows to pour.  It’s a deep berry color liquid that swirls around in your glass.

 

“To Zygerria,” Queen Chythix says and raises her glass.

 

“To the First Order,” you respond in kind.

 

You take a small sip of your wine, wondering how much to imbibe is polite  The high chime of the chalices clinking together still rings clear above the muted cheers of the court.  Some sort of special chalice? It’s still a tinny whine, and you abruptly realize it’s not coming from your glass but from your ears.    

 

A sudden wave of vertigo overcomes you that you barely notice the chalice dropping from your nerveless fingers.  Your body follows the same pathway to the ground.

 

_They dare cross us?_

 

Rage, too strong to contain, explodes out of you and channels into your outstretched fingers.  You jerk your arm to the side and hurl the Queen across the room. Your body is not your own as you rise up from the floor, deflecting a blaster shot with the Force and sliding across the top of the table to grapple with a guard.  Kylo is not working against you but through you, the two of you working together with the Force and tactical calculations to take on the Zygerrians.

 

There’s nothing but bodies littering the floor of the wrecked room when you’re done, chest heaving and body trembling with too much energy while you stand astride the broken queen.  The Zygerrians will be made an example of about why no one should challenge the First Order. You shall crush them all beneath your bootheel.

 

It’s as if something has finally slotted into place, and you understand why Kylo insists that you work together, train together, be one.

 

You feel… you feel…

 

[ Powerful ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44506357)


	32. Chapter 32

**Powerful**

 

The thing is that you… don’t quite mind that Kylo Ren is a part of you.  It takes the both of you several rotations to work out a graceful schedule to share with two minds in one body.  However, the benefits of being physically stronger (and even being able to experience the Force when the both of you concentrate) are starting to weigh in your favor over trying to separate.  What if you… stayed like this, together?

 

It’s this thought that stays your hand.  For once you’re not doing any sort of work related to the running of the _Finalizer_ but are eating a meal.  (You’re burning through calories at an incredibly fast rate between the training Kylo does on his own in your body and the secret Force training sessions you do together.)  You drop your fork back to your tray. The possibilities that lay out before you…

 

The door to your private office slide open and Lord Tebawli strides in.  “Eating a meal by yourself, General?” He sits down across from you. “If I had known I would have offered to eat with you.”

 

“I’m sure there are better things you can be doing,” you say and push your tray to the side of the desk.  The cleaning droid can pick it up later.

 

“Oh I’m sure,” Tebawli answers with a slow slide of his eyes down your body.  

 

Again, there’s the thought that Lord Tebawli is handsome enough.  You seize upon the impulse. Things are going so well that you can afford some small leisure time.  “Would you care to stay?” You indicate the two glasses behind you on the shelf.

 

“I do have a little bit of time,” he admits.  “I also have some new files for you to go over courtesy of the Supreme Leader.”  He pulls out a datacard and places it on your desk.

 

You’ll look at them later.  Right now you don’t mind his company.  The rapport between the two of you is amicable yet professional.  However, in your private office the formalities are less rigid. It’s a welcome distraction from your thoughts that always seem to center around Kylo.

 

As if you have called him, Kylo appears.  

 

“What is _he_ doing here?” he growls.  His eyes are snapping with fire, hands clenched at his sides.  It took a little experimentation for Kylo to realize he can’t affect Force users the same way he can non-Force users.

 

You’re grateful, at least, that Kylo has stopped trying to slash his hands through Lord Tebawli every time the new Lord is around you.  “I heard your Knights have successfully completed an espionage mission that has helped turned the battle on Abafar.” You ignore Kylo in favor of pulling down the two glasses.  There’s just enough alcohol for the two of you.

 

“I would have done a far better job than he ever could,” Kylo mutters.  If he had a tail it would be lashing back and forth in aggressive agitation while he stalks around Tebawli.

 

“All thanks to the excellent intel your officers have managed to gather.”  Tebawli’s smile is slow when it comes. “You’re collecting victories like sparkbees to honey.  The rebels are starting to whisper about you and your uncanny abilities.”

 

 _Thanks to me._ Kylo has retreated to inside of you, although it’s an ill fit as if he’s going to burst out of your skin at any moment.

 

The glasses clink down on the table.  “Let them,” you say curtly. Kylo is an asset that you are not foolhardy to squander.  His abilities to pass through walls undetected to gather critical information from your enemies and tentative alliances has helped immensely.  

 

You take a sip from your own cup and lean back in your chair. The alcohol acts as a warm buffer against the chill that’s settled around you from Kylo’s anger.  “What really matters is that we are winning.” Your eyes stare at a distant point behind the Lord’s shoulder. “Let the rebel scum tie themselves in knots wondering how it’s done.  We’ll wipe them all out.”

 

“Forgive me,” Lord Tebawli says, “I didn’t mean for us to talk more about work.  I had hoped that we could talk about something more… pleasurable.” He reaches out and places a hand atop yours.

 

Your hand jerks out and grabs his wrist.  “You dare.” The words are not your own. The anger furiously burning inside of you is like an inferno which threatens to consume your being.  “Get out.”

 

Tebawli raises his free hand in a placating gesture.  “Come now Hux, I know how hard you work yourself. Let me-”

 

“ **GET OUT**!”

 

The Knight makes some sort of verbal affirmation and quickly exits.  

 

No sooner is the door shut than Kylo is in front of you in a towering rage.  “You let him touch you,” he snarls. The free objects around the room are rattling through the Force.  “You let him touch _us_.”

 

You shove at his chest, making him take a step backward.  “And that gives you the right to _possess my body_?” you bellow.  The anger that’s vibrating within you is all your own now.  “You don’t get to make these decisions for me.”

 

Kylo rounds on you.  “ **I OWN YOU!** ”  He grabs the front of your jacket and slams your back against the wall.  “You’re _mine_ , you agreed to that when we decided to co-command this body together.  You _said_ it yourself.”  He’s breathing hard although there is no air blowing across your skin.  His fingers flex and dig into your flesh. "I'll destroy him. And you. And all of it," he says with solemn finality that brooks no argument.

 

Your anger simmers beneath the surface, tempered for the moment, as you look at him.  You know what this is. “Ren, you wretched creature,” you say. You slide your hand up to cup his cheek.  He leans into the touch, turning his head to press a kiss against your wrist where your glove has ridden up.  It would be softly romantic if it was done to anyone other than between the two of you. There is no love involved in this.

 

You make a quick decision.  “Show me.” There’s no innate Force abilities within you, but you have others ways of wielding power.  Another way to tie him to you. Another way to burrow yourself deeper into his psyche. “Show me that I’m yours.”

 

There’s a feverish light glossing his eyes when he looks down at you.  “Yes.” One minute you’re standing with your back pressed against the wall and the next you’re lying on your bed with Kylo straddling over you.

 

You remember this, before he died, the infrequent way the two of you tumbled into bed together all teeth and hands and rage.  It’s no different this time when you bend your knee and press against Kylo’s already hard cock trapped between layers of fabric.

 

Kylo has too many clothes on for your liking, and all of it is a complicated mess for you to navigate.  Your own clothing is much easier. It doesn’t take much to divest yourself of your tunic followed by your undershirt before pushing down your unbuttoned pants far enough to free your cock.  You keep the gloves on because you know the contrast of your pale skin against the dark gloves drives him wild.

 

Kylo zeroes in on your hand gripped around your aching member, taking you in with hungry eyes and a lust that’s palpable while you stroke your hand up and down.  It fills you with a sense of power to have him caught up in your orbit. It goes straight to your cock.

 

“Come here,” you demand.  You wrap one hand around the back of his neck to pull him down.  He still kisses the same as well, as if he’s looking for a fight that can only be settled with his mouth.  His tongue slides between your lips, and the feel of it slick against your tongue feels so real that you can almost forget that he doesn’t _really_ have a body.

 

 _I’m real enough._ His hands grip your hips hard enough that you’re sure they will leave behind ten finger-shaped bruises while he grinds against you.  But you’re finding it hard to care about that when his clothes disappear like mist rising off a mountain to reveal his muscular body.   _I’ll show you._

 

It’s just sex, you tell yourself when Kylo’s mouth travels down your body and leaves spots of fire behind.  It’s just sex, you repeat again when he pulls your hand away to replace it with his wet mouth. His ridiculously long hair is still the perfect length to wind your fingers around and guide his head down your shaft.  It’s just sex.

 

It’s all part of the:

 

[ Plan ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44506387)


	33. Chapter 33

**Plan**

 

“Kylo,” you call out.

 

Ren materializes in front of you before the second syllable has even left your mouth.  “Hux.”

 

He’s become quite adept at sensing when you need him ever since the two of you fucked.  You’re pretty sure he’s so willing to come to your side in hopes that it’ll happen again, but you have other things to concern yourself with.

 

You set aside your datapad.  “What’s the status update on your research?”  

 

Kylo’s lips twitch into a small frown.  “I’m not one of your officers that needs to report to you.”  He settles into the chair he usually favors when he’s in your private quarters.  His legs are stretched out and crossed at the ankles. It’s a small indicator that he’s not too annoyed at you.   

 

“I misspoke,” you say smoothly.  Now is not the time to get into an argument with him.  “I just wondered about the progress of getting your own body back.”  

 

One large shoulder lifts in a shrug.  “It’s going well enough,” he responds.  “It’s been helpful when we go off ship so I can check the archives, but a lot of the sacred texts are in a place I cannot access.”  His annoyance pushes at your mind.

 

It’s silent in the room while you think.  You need to bring this up delicately without giving too much away, and you’re not even sure of your own feelings on the matter.  “And what happens if you can’t?”

 

His eyes snap up to look right at yours.  “What?”

 

You keep your stare level.  “What if you’re unable to get your own body back?”

 

Kylo’s contemplative expression turns into a leer.  “Why? Do you like me inside of you?” Force fingers gently stroke up your side.

 

“Be serious,” you snap.

 

“You don’t ask hypotheticals,” Kylo says after a short pause.  The touching stops, but you can feel his curiosity probing at your mind.  “You’re planning something.”

 

“You’ve talked about this before.”  You drum your fingers atop your desk.  “Think about it. If you were able to get your own body back where would you go?  Lord Tebawli has replaced you, you are no longer part of the Knights of Ren, and Snoke… well, he’s no longer your master.”  It’s a gamble to bring up that issue because you’re not sure what Kylo’s feelings are towards the Supreme Leader. He very rarely talks about his former master other than the time you threatened to tell Snoke about Kylo’s Force existence.

 

The room drops several degrees.  “And you think, what, that we’re actually better off together?” he mocks.

 

“We could,” you say firmly.  You deliberately relax your shoulders from the slow tension building in them.  It’s a dangerous thought to even have. “Snoke underestimates me. He underestimates _us,_ and that arrogance is getting in the way of us realizing our true potential.”  Your hands tremble with suppressed anticipation.  You can see it so clearly, the way the First Order could dominate the galaxy with you at the helm and Ren by your side as your shadow Knight.  “You can be more than you are.”

 

Kylo silently studies you with a pensive look.  Whatever he sees in you must convince him of something because he  drops the guarded look. “The Supreme Leader is a creature made of flesh and bone,” he says.  “The Force is strong with him, but his body is not. It’s why he keeps his Praetorian Guards around him when we have an in person audience him.”

 

Relief floods through you so fast that you’re light headed.  It seems like Kylo is coming around to your tentative idea. You know Kylo was tempting you before just so he could get own body back, but it has a ring of truth to it.  The two of you could actually work together as a single unit. “He won’t be able to stop us. You might not be able to interact with Force beings on your own, but we can do it together.”  

 

A couple rotations ago you had accidentally gone through a wall when Kylo had settled inside of you because you were taking too long to get a door unlocked.  At the time you were furious about the possibility of getting stuck between matter, but later on you kept thinking about how this could be used to your advantage.  Can you go through other objects with the help of Kylo?

 

What about living beings?

 

“Let me think about it.”  Kylo’s tone doesn’t give you any indication about what he’s feeling at the moment.  “I want to do some more research on how to get my own body but,” he adds when he sees the displeased tilt of your mouth, “I’ll let you make the final decision.”

 

“Fine,” you agree.  It’s not… exactly what you want to hear, but you have a grudging level of respect for Kylo.  For once he’s not being governed by his emotions to make a rash decision. It’ll also give you more time to mull over your plan and if you do indeed want to go through with it.  There’s no turning back from treason, and if Snoke should catch wind of any of it then it will be your downfall.

 

But you can wait.  You’ve been waiting this long.

 

\---

 

Cycles pass.  It’s as uneventful as it can be when you’re trying to lead the First Order to victory.  You command your men, work with Lord Tebawli (he has remained professionally cool with you which Kylo is not-so-subtly pleased with), and seem to be in the Supreme Leader’s favor for the victories you’ve been able to achieve.

 

Kylo still researches when he’s not coiled inside of you, sometimes he engages in light conversation and other times he’s distant and cagey.  Occasionally you fuck. More often than not you find time to train together off ship to hone your skills working together and using the Force.  Through it all Kylo never mentions the progress (or lack thereof) that he’s been making on getting a body. And you still don’t know what his final opinions are on the plan you’ve talked about over and over again trying to find the pitfalls and risks versus the benefits.

 

Until one day you wake up after a quick round of sex to see Kylo raised up on one arm above you.  His wild hair is ringed in light which soften his features. “I’ve found a way to get my body back.”

 

The surprise renders you mute (you hadn’t thought Kylo would be able to figure it out after so long of no word on his progress).  Where once you would have demanded the process be started immediately, now you’re not so sure about what you want to do.

 

The power is addicting.

 

You sit up to lean against the headboard.  You never like when Kylo is hovering above you.  “And you’ll respect my wishes, whatever I decide?”  The two of you have had countless conversations about the possibilities and what-ifs and what would be done after.  The idea of being named the next Supreme Leader is a tantalizing thought. A new First Order reshaped in your image. But the thought of failure…

 

Kylo slides his arm around your back and rolls the both of you over so you’re trapped between the cage of his arms.  “I will let you decide,” he says. He bends his head down to gently scrape his teeth against the slope of your neck, ending with a small kiss.  “I thought you trusted me.”

 

Trust.  Such a small word with an immense meaning.  However, it’s hard to take him seriously when his hardening cock is pressing against your thigh.  You’re not opposed to what he’s silently suggesting. His mouth slides up to that sensitive spot behind your ear.  It makes heat pool in your gut.

 

You tilt your head to the side to glance at the chronometer within your line of sight.  There’s enough time for one more round of sex and then you can make your decision to:

 

[ Stay Together ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44506480)

 

[ Separate ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18759529/chapters/44506552)


	34. Chapter 34

**Stay Together**

 

The _Supremacy’s_ main door looms in front of you.  It fills you with dread that you try to roughly push away.  Very rarely does the Supreme Leader see fit to pay a personal visit.  However, you have counted on this visit to execute your final plan. It has taken you many, many rotations of careful consideration to decide that you will throw all your chips down on it.  You decided on staying together for a reason, and what is the use of all this power if not to grab as much as you can to fulfill your own needs? The only thing standing in your way is the man on the other side of the door.

 

But if you should fail…

 

Kylo’s warmth wraps around you like protective armor.  He dares not speak to you with Snoke so close, but you feel a modicum of comfort anyway.  You square your shoulders and key in your code to the chambers. You and Kylo have trained extensively together since your decision to be one.  You will not misstep now.

 

The Supreme Leader is sitting on his throne chair backlit by the brilliant red (... bloody red…) walls.  He stands out with his pale skin and dark golden khalat robes against the spartan black and red room. There are no Praetorian Guards flanking him around the room.  It’s just you and him, which suits you just fine. Let him think you aren’t a threat.

 

“General Hux.”  The Supreme Leader’s hands are casually resting on the great flat arms of his throne.  They look so deceptively small and feeble that it’s jarring to you. It’s so unlike the larger than life hologram you’re used to seeing.  

 

“Supreme Leader,” you answer.  You’re standing a respectful distance away from Snoke, back straight and hands loosely folded behind you.  “Have you received my latest reports on the state of the First Order?” Under your newfound strength and skill you have wiped out more resistance fighters and captured planets than ever before.

 

“Commendable, General, most commendable,” Snoke answers with a dismissive wave of his hand.  “However, that is not why I have summoned you here before me. There has been an awakening. Have you felt it?” Snoke says.  His stare has you pinned in place. “There’s something more that I have sensed.”

 

“I have not,” you answer carefully and keep your gaze steady.  Kylo is silent inside you. You cannot alert Snoke that you are more than you appear to be.  “I am sure Lord Tebawli might be best suited for this conversation, Sir. I’m afraid I do not have the aptitude for the Force.”

 

“ _You_ do not,” Snoke agrees, “but my former apprentice, son of darkness, heir apparent to Lord Vader, Kylo Ren _does._ ”  Snoke’s eyes are like two chips of ice peering out from under heavy brows.  “Do you know why I keep a non-Force user in such a place of power?”

 

Apprehension stirs within you while you’re subjected to his gaze.  You try and keep your mind empty for the Supreme Leader to skim through it.  “I’m afraid I do not know that answer.” You don’t know why he’s bringing this up when you and Kylo have been so careful not to alert anyone to something suspicious.  To your men, your recent skills have been through intense training and determination.

 

“A cur’s weakness, properly manipulated, can be a sharp tool.”  He laughs once, a harsh mirthless sound, that echoes in his chamber.  “But a tool that does not fit its proper objective has outlived its usefulness.”  

  

“I-I understand,” you fumble out and try to sound properly contrite.  Kylo is rumbling inside your mind like a leashed dog straining against his bonds.  “I will continue to serve you well for the good of the First Order.”

 

“See that you do.”

 

It’s a clear dismissal.  You give a quick bow and turn around to stride towards the doors.  Not yet. Not yet. The air sizzles around you and makes your hair stand up on end.

 

_Now!_

 

Your arm jerks backward without thought, fingers splayed to just barely deflect a bolt of Force lightning that was headed right towards you.

 

“How disappointed I am in you, General Hux, that you think you can lie to me.”  His fingertips crackle with lightning that he directs at you again. “Do you think I am so foolish as to not recognize his Force signature?”

 

It’s more instinct that tactical knowledge that makes you throw yourself to the side.  You roll to your feet, adrenaline high and blaster in your hand that’s directed right at the Supreme Leader.  You squeeze off a couple shots that are guided by Kylo’s Force energy. Two are deflected by Snoke but one hits him in the arm.

 

The Supreme Leader snarls and rises up from his throne.  “I cannot be betrayed; I cannot be beaten. I see his mind, I see his every intent.”  He turns up his palm, fingers clenched.

 

Your body is locked together in a full bind that’s hard enough to squeeze your bones together.  You can’t speak as you’re pulled towards the Supreme Leader. Your heart is stuttering in your chest.  

 

Snoke looms in front of you to stand at his full height.  “Even in death, as long as there’s a fiery spit of hope that he carries, I am connected to him.”  There are mental fingers digging callously through your mind, diving deep and deeper still. “Speak,” Snoke demands.  “You cannot hide from me.” Something buried deep inside you suddenly gets pulled taut.

 

“F-fff-fight it!”  The voice that is ripped out of you is not your own.  

 

“Ah, now there is my wayward former apprentice.”  You crumple in a heap on the floor when he releases you from the Force hold.  “Pathetic child, did you think you could turn him?” he directs at you. His facsimile of a smile is an awful thing of a caved in mouth with shards of rectangular teeth filling it.   

 

_Fight it!_

 

“He is mine, even in death, he is mine.  A dog only loyal to the one with power.” Snoke strikes at you again.

 

The electricity streaks around your body and lights up your organs.  It feels like you’re on fire. It feels like you’re dying. You almost wish you are.  You can’t scream with your jaw forced shut, but you can hear Kylo shouting in your mind.  You desperately try and stay focused on that instead of the cage of white light around you.

 

_Fight it!  We’re stronger than this._

 

Your limbs are shaking, but you feel that power coursing through you.  Kylo’s power.   _Your_ power.  You know who he is loyal to.  

 

Your vision is nothing but crackling white as you push the pain down (and down and down and down) to get to your knees.  The Force lightning strikes down and around you, raining on your shoulders and spitting out shocks on your tongue. It doesn’t stop you from pushing forward towards the Supreme Leader with single-minded focus backed by twin wills of determination.   

 

“Arrogant child!”  Snoke throws his hand to the side.  “I have his heart. I _own_ him.”

 

The sound of Kylo’s Force meeting Snoke’s is loud as a thunderclap in the room, the sheer magnitude of their wills sending invisible ripples from the epicenter as both users battle it out.  You continue to push forward, your steps slowed but not stopped, lips peels back in a snarl as you move closer.

This close you can see the surprise reflected in Snoke’s eyes.  He stumbles back and throws lightning at you again, but it skims over you as if it’s of little consequence.  Kylo is more powerful than he’s ever been before, and you feel invincible. Kylo’s Force overcomes Snoke’s and pins the leader in place at the foot of his throne.

 

_Nothing will stand in our way._

 

You reach out your hand and can see Ren’s overlaid atop yours.  Two beings as one. The tips of your fingers brush against the gold fabric of the Supreme Leader’s chest before dipping in, phasing past the skin and the muscle and the bone to the vulnerable organ that lies beneath.  Rage. Fear. Lust. Hope. Wrath. Hatred. All of it surges up within you and drowns you within the swirling mess of strong emotions.

 

In one smooth move you grab the heart and rip your hand out.

 

Blood splatters over your clothes and on the floor.  Snoke’s mouth drops open in a surprised “O” with eyes so wide that the whites nearly swallow up the irises.  Blood sputters out of him once before he slumps over. His body hits the floor with a muffled thump.

 

It’s done.

 

Kylo gives a primal sound of fury, but your eyes are still riveted to the being on the floor.  Your fingers drip, drip, drip blood. He looks like a withered husk, and disgust crawls through you that you ever thought to believe he was considered the most powerful being in the universe.  But not anymore. The bloody heart joins the body on the floor.

 

Your eyes drag up to the empty throne where Kylo has materialized already standing to the right of it with an expectant look on his face.  You walk past the corpse and across the bloodied floors to take the throne. You feel Kylo sliding into you, strengthening you. His whole being radiates a thrumming triumph.

 

_Long live the Supreme Leader._

 

No.

 

You settle in your rightful place and look out across the room and beyond.  With Kylo at your side you can do anything. It’s like you can see the future and the many ways you will make and unmake it to suit your needs.  Your purpose.

 

Not Supreme Leader.

 

Emperor.

 

###  **THE END**  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You've reached the end of the story. Why not start again and try a different path?


	35. Chapter 35

**Separate**

 

“Empty yourself of thoughts,” Kylo says, “and concentrate on me.”

 

This time you don’t startle with the Darth Vader helmet between you starts to glow.  You’re back in Kylo’s room in the same position as the first time you two attempted to separate.  However, you’ve had much more practice working with Kylo and you can feel the faint hum of the Force around you buzzing through your body.  You’re confident that this time you will be free of him completely. After that, you can worry about what that means for the structure of the First Order.  What it means for the Supreme Leader.

 

You focus on the light.  It starts off as a soft glow, faint as a dying ember, and you’re entranced with the way it pulses at the very core of the melted helmet.  Each beat it gets bigger until it’s growing out of the helmet, past the edge of the dais and reaches up towards your linked hands.

 

Kylo is chanting in a language you’re not familiar with, all hard guttural sounds and sharp growls.  The runes painted on your skin glow a brilliant blue when the light pulses over your hands and shrinks again.  It doesn’t hurt, not really, but it takes concentration not to pull away when the runes light up your wrists, your forearms, your elbows.

 

The light washes over you, and only thing you can see is the bright blue of the runes and Kylo’s dark eyes.  

 

There are mental fingers digging callously through your mind, diving deep and deeper still.  You grind your teeth in pain. Something buried deep inside you suddenly gets pulled taut, unsticking from your core with a painful pressure and then a sudden pop.

 

The light stops, making you rapidly blink to readjust to the darkness of the room.  The runes are gone and so is the familiar weight of Kylo’s presence at the back of your head.  It’s just quiet.

 

“Kylo?”

 

“Hux.”  He’s standing in the corner of the room within the deepest shadows.

 

“Did it work?”  You’re not quite sure what the final results are supposed to be.  Kylo looks solid to you. You can’t even feel the Force anymore. You can’t feel him.

 

“Not yet.”  He steps towards you, his feet barely making any noise against the floor.  With the way the shadows are playing across his face he looks like a beast stalking closer to you.  “There’s one more thing that I have to do. Will you help me?”

 

A chill shoots down your spine.  But this is Kylo, there’s no need to fear him.  You’ve helped him this far and if this is the last step to be free of him entirely, then so be it.  You give a quick nod. “What do you need me to do?”

 

“Let the past die.”  His voice is so quiet that you wouldn’t be able to hear him if he wasn’t standing nearly toe to toe with you.  “Kill it, if you have to.”

 

Confusion twists up your brow.  “I don’t understand.”

 

A high whine punches through the quiet of the room.  

 

It takes you a moment to recognize that it’s the sound of a lightsaber.  It takes you another moment to recognize the pain radiating from your gut.  You pull in a shuddering gasp, your hand weakly fisting into the front of Kylo’s robes.  Betrayal floods through you. “W-why?”

 

“Snoke gave me the tools I needed.  He told me that this is the only way to become what I am meant to be.”  His arm is strong around you to hold you up when he powers down the lightsaber.  “I’ll let nothing stand in my way to feel the full power of the darkness, to live again.”  His eyes are terrible black holes that suck you in and swallow you whole.

 

###  **THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You've reached the end. Why not try again and choose a different path.


End file.
